Winding River
by Mistress of the Knight
Summary: Stargate SG1 Firefly xover. River is lost: Where is found and what she uncovers may teach her more about her verse than the crew of Serenity are willing to face. Spoilers for the movie Serenity. See that first! About to be unearthed from the dead!
1. Planetfall

_Rating: PG12 (some swearing)_

_Disclaimer: If I owned the rights to any of this stuff I'd be a lot richer! Besides, if stupid Fox hadn't had to cancel Firefly I wouldn't feel the need to take them under my wing._

_Timeline: Set Post Firefly (Inara and Book have left the ship) and pre-Serenity and sometime during season 7 of Stargate._

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**Chapter 1**

**Planetfall**

"_Ai ya_!"

Wash let loose the muttered Mandarin curse as he dropped the end of the large crate he was carrying squarely onto his toes. Jayne gave a snort and took over shifting the heavy mass into a more secure position in the hold. He grinned as he watched Wash hop about unsteadily, looking for something to take his weight to save him from putting his injured foot to the ground. To Jayne's disappointment the imminent pratt fall was averted at the last minute as a muscular shoulder was wedged under Wash's questing hand.

Zoë took a moment to swing her carton onto the top of the stack with an easy economy of motion before turning to support her husband. She helped him over to the bulkhead where he slithered down to the deck. Zoë crouched in tender concern, cradling his foot in her lap as she worked at the laces.

"Did you break anything Sweetie?" she asked solicitously. He turned puppy dog eyes on her, putting on his brave little soldier face.

"Could be. Guess I should wait and have the Doc take a look at it. Darn, I guess that'll mean I'll have to skip the rest of the loading."

Jayne snorted at them as he brushed the reddish dust from his hands. "You can stop milkin' it, ya wimp! That should be the last of 'em."

Wash flashed a grin at his wife. "Hey, it's a miracle cure." He shot a mischievous look at her. "Of course, you could always kiss it all better..."

Zoë shot him a look that had him waving his hands in mock surrender. She straightened smoothly, letting his foot fall heavily to the ground and ignoring his yelp of protest as she glanced around the cargo hold.  
"The miracle is that we seem to have completed a pickup without anything going against the plan."

Mal scowled at her as he stormed up the ramp. "Aint no call to be jinxing us now Zoë. I'll not be relaxing till all folks are on board and we're back in the black." He looked about impatiently. "Where've lil' Kaylee and the good Doc got to?"

Wash levered himself to his feet and started hobbling up the steps toward the cockpit, calling back over his shoulder "They took River into VerbenaTown to experience the delights of civilisation. Kaylee was saying something about underwear shopping."

Jayne looked up in interest. "Really? They say what kind?"

Mal scowled some more and swung around to start marching back down the ramp, muttering under his breath "I swear one day that girl'll get us all killed due to a hankering for feminine fripperies!"

He hadn't gotten as far as the bottom of the ramp before they all heard a stampede of booted feet and a frantic, panting Kaylee came barrelling into him, nearly knocking him flying.

"Gotta come ... River ... she's gone!" She gasped out the words between great swallows of oxygen.

Mal held her gently by both shoulders and gave her a little shake to get her to focus on him. "Calm down, _bao bei_, tell us what happened. I'm gettin' that something happened to River."

She took a deep breath but before she could speak Simon appeared round the corner of the ship looking flushed and wild-eyed. Not in the least his normal detached, immaculate self.

"Need the mule. River's run off. I can't find ..." He was red faced and shouting, almost as incoherent as Kaylee, but was stopped mid rant by a bout of coughing that doubled him over, hands braced on his knees.

"Look, if someone don't start telling me what in _tyen shiao duh _happened I'm gonna start knockin' some heads together!" Mal barked in frustration.

Kaylee took a long breath and ran a shaky hand through sweat damp hair. "We were shopping, Cap'n. Well, me 'n River were, and Simon was kinda watching us shop. Everything was shiny! River was laughing at some godawful panties we'd found then all 'a sudden she stared upward and just started screamin' like she'd got a glimpse o' hell or somethin'. I looked but I swear there weren't nothin' up there but clouds an' birds. Then she took off. We tried to catch her but she can move like nothin' you've seen!"

Mal snarled an oath that stemmed the flow of words from the wide-eyed mechanic. "That sister of yours Doc, got a talent for inventing new ways to disturb my calm! Fine, we'll split into teams. Zoë, you take the Doc in the mule. Circle the town; see if you can pick up her trail. Me 'n Jayne'll ask around quiet like if anyone's spotted a screamin' crazy person. Let's find her, people, before she draws down more attention than any'v us need!"

The bustle of activity was interrupted by a rustle of static from the intercom.

"Captain, I'm picking up a distress call from the next town over."

Mal grimaced. "Wash, we've got more'n enough troubles of our own without ..." He was stopped by Zoë's hand on his arm, her face grave. She'd caught the tone of suppressed panic in her husband's voice.

"Captain! They're being attacked by Reavers!"

A moment of deadly quiet followed Wash's tight, strained announcement. Then everyone erupted at once.

Jayne cursed and backed away from the hatch. "Reavers! Well what the hell are we waiting for? We gotta get outta here!"

"Oh Jesus! River! We hav'ta find her!" Kaylee whimpered, white faced and shaking. Simon had gone very still, head bowed, arms clutched around his waist as if he'd been gut-shot. Now he straightened, an icy mask slipping over his handsome features. He took a deep breath, levelling an arctic glare at Jayne.

"Even you can't seriously be suggesting leaving her out there!"

"Screw her! If we don't we'll all be screwed!" Jayne's belligerent stance was belied by the sweat beading on his brow. "We gotta go, Mal. I ain't planning on being no Reaver's munchable sex toy!"

Mal stood very still, gaze locked with Zoë's, whose hand was still clutching his arm. "There's not enough time." she said in a quiet voice.

Simon stared at them in disbelief for a second before his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched.

"Fine!" he grated "I'll find her myself!"

Mal broke free from Zoë and strode after him, catching him at the bottom of the ramp and clapping a hand to his shoulder. Simon whirled to face him, but the look of desperate hope on his face was put out by the fist that cannoned into the side of his jaw. Mal caught him under the arms as he sagged and began dragging him back up the ramp, ignoring the choked sobs from where Kaylee had slumped in the corner.

"Zoë, get these doors shut!" he called over his shoulder. "Wash, get us out of here _boo yao ming duh soo doo_!" He'd hardly finished speaking before the ship was vibrating around them, the cargo bay doors nearly snapping shut on Simon's trailing heels.

There followed an aeon of pressure that had the occupants of the cargo bay gripping, white knuckled, any handhold whilst Serenity herself groaned in protest around them. The silence, when it came, seemed almost indecent. It was broken by a crackle from the intercom.

"We're clear." Wash's voice sounded flat and lifeless, devoid of its usual energy. Zoë walked over to where the Captain had fallen on his ass, Simon's head and shoulders resting in his lap, and held out a hand to him in silent companionship.

"Thanks." He muttered gruffly as she hauled him to his feet. "Can you 'n Jayne get him to the infirmary? I should be in the bridge." He moved away but was stopped as Kaylee stepped in front of him. He straightened his spine, standing tense and ready, not quite meeting her eyes.

"I'd like ta' stay with him Cap'n." she said quietly, silent tears streaming unheeded over her flushed cheeks. "He'll need someone, when he wakes." Mal looked startled, as if he'd been expecting something else, then gave a deep sigh and ran a slightly shaky hand over his face.

"Sure, Kaylee." He hesitated. "Take Jayne with you. I don't want you alone with him. He's like to be a mite unhappy when he comes to."

Kaylee looked up into brown eyes that suddenly seemed indescribably weary.

"I don't think anyone's gonna be happy on this ship," she muttered, her broken whisper barely audible, "not for a long time."

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_AN. I'm really keen to get some feedback from you guys. Seriously, love it, hate it .. please let me know! Especially tell me if you think things need changing. Only, be gentle! This is my first fanfic!_

Chinese phrases in order of appearance:

_Damn!_

_Sweetheart_

_Name of all that's sacred_

_Life risking speed_


	2. Diversion

Disclaimer: see chapter 1 

AN. Hey Guys, thanks for reviews! You like me! You really like me! (It can't last!) Special thanks go to my new Beta, Little Moppet. Check out her story "The Promise", it's great!

Timeline: Set Post Firefly and pre-Serenity and sometime during season 7 of Stargate, i.e. Daniel has returned from being an ascended being, Teal'c is minus symbiote (and hair still!) but dear Dr. Frasier has not yet left us (sniff!).

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**Chapter 2**

**Diversion**

Jack was bored.

It was his own fault. He'd obviously complained one too many times that his team seemed to be assigned to world saving, life risking missions almost every week. His punishment: a trip to an uninhabited planet to study dirt and rocks.

Samantha Carter was studying the dirt. His second in command was crouched in the dust of this parched plain a few hundred meters away. Her blonde head was bowed intently over an array of tubes and she was doing something bewilderingly scientific with various brightly coloured liquids.

Daniel Jackson was studying the rocks. The archaeologist was hunkered down at the base of a four-foot high wall. His glasses had slipped forward on his nose and he peered through them with the abstracted gaze of an eccentric professor, his notebooks fanned around him like fallen leaves.

Jack O'Neil and Teal'c were; well, they were mooching. In their own unique ways. Teal'c was standing at parade rest, eyes scanning the desolate tundra, his spine as straight as the staff weapon he had planted before him. Jack slumped, hands in pockets, kicking fitfully at a clump of dry, yellow grass. He glared balefully around him.

They were clustered at the base of a large mound ringed with what once, he had been told at length, would have been an imposing array of intricately carved temples, but was now little more than weathered boulders. The large stone circle of the Stargate, through which they'd arrived three long and tedious hours ago, stood silhouetted in profile at the top of the embankment like a pimple on a teenage chin. Jack sighed and slouched over to the bulky form of the ex-Jaffa, leaning toward him to whisper conspiratorially.

"Bet'cha five bucks that Daniel'll squeal in excitement over something on that wall sometime in the next five minutes!" Teal'c arched one eyebrow, causing the gold embossed emblem on his forehead to rise beneath his shaven mahogany crown.

"I do not believe such a wager to be advisable, Colonel O'Neil" he rumbled sternly, reverting to eyes front position. O'Neil glumly went back to torturing the tussock of grass with his toe. There was a moment of stillness. Daniel broke it by leaning forward to brush some dust from a carving, muttering an absent-minded

"Fascinating!" His absorption was so complete that he didn't even look up at Jack's wail.

"Damn it! I knew I should have asked Carter!"

A flicker of a smile twitched the corners of Teal'c's mouth, only to be replaced an instant later by tight mask of alertness. Jack straightened from his sulk, suddenly all business, as the distinctive grind of stone against stone announced the imminent arrival of an incoming wormhole. Carter had abandoned her test tubes and stood poised on the balls of her feet, palm resting on the butt of her handgun. Even Daniel had broken off his studies and gazed up the hill with a slightly distracted air.

The plume of plasma erupted in billowing waves from the mouth of the circle, licking the evening skyline before collapsing back on itself. A slight figure burst from the shimmering surface with almost as much violence. The slender girl was running, her thin dress flapping round her legs as the heavy boots flew over the ground. She craned her neck back in a swirl of flying hair and stumbled slightly as the ground sloped away from under her feet. In a flash, a second figure had sprung from the Stargate and had launched at her feet, sending them both rolling down the bank in a tangle of limbs.

A third person followed them through the gate, paused and glanced beyond the struggling pair; his deranged gaze locked on Carter's horrified face. With a primal snarl he came bounding in great simian leaps toward her. She raised her weapon, the other hand braced against her wrist, but her professional stance was shaken as she caught sight of the rabid devastation of his face. She gasped, taking a step back, the gun beginning to tremble in her hand. She nearly fumbled it altogether a second later as she flinched from the sharp retort of an MP5 and a staff weapon being fired simultaneously.

The savage snarls died as the body jerked with the impact of the bullets. The mutilated carcass tumbled and slid to a halt in a cloud of dust at Carter's feet. She backed away from it and, shaking her head as if casting off a bad dream, looked up in alarm at where the young girl had fallen.

She lay very still, the smoking corpse of her attacker still draped across her in a grotesque embrace. Teal'c bent over her, laying down his staff at the feet of the victim it had claimed, and carefully pulled the body away from the dirty and bloodstained girl. She looked up at him, silent and solemn apart from the catch of her laboured breathing. Her eyes darted rapidly and erratically over his face and the others now crowding over her before drifting away to cover the landscape before her.

"I ran too far." She announced pensively to the world at large.

"You okay?" Jack snapped. He cast a critical eye over her torn dress. The broken spaghetti strap dangled loose beneath an expanse of smooth pale skin marred by jagged parallel scratches. Her upper arm was a mess of mangled flesh and bubbling blood. He looked down in disgust at the upturned face of her attacker, still snarling through a mask of hideous injuries. The blood clotted around the mottled skin of the lipless grimace suggested that he'd been in the process of biting a chunk out of her when Teal'c's staff blast stopped him. "What the hell are these things?" he demanded in alarm.

Her vacant gaze clicked into focus on him for a moment before shifting to the sprawled body beside her. She shuffled away from it, then paused and stretched over to poke one finger tentatively into scarred and oozing flesh of its cheek. Daniel crouched before her, looking a little queasy, and gently pulled her hand away.

"It's okay. It's dead now." Large dark eyes fixed on his and he felt a little disconcerted at the intensity of their gaze.

"Some people don't stay down." She stated quietly.

Jack let out a snort. "She's got you there, Danny," he said with a grin. "You've turned coming back from the dead into a hobby!" Daniel glared at him before turning back to the girl.

"Can you tell us your name?" he asked in a soothing voice. She stayed silent, her eyes sliding off his face and back to the corpse. She rose to her knees, bending over the remains, head slightly tilted to one side. Her dark hair fell in waves that almost brushed the lacerated face below her.

"Hunger" she muttered, staring intently into the vacant eyes. "They took everything from them but the pain and the hate, so they fill the emptiness with it. From others when they can. Or their own self."

"My God!" Carter breathed. "Do you mean they cut open their own faces? That's … nasty!"

Daniel reached out and held the girl's chin carefully between thumb and forefinger, turning her to face him again.

"What's your name?" He entreated again. "Where did you come from?"

"I'm not sure you'll get your answers, Daniel." Jack spoke softly. "I'm not sure she's all there!" Her head snapped around to face him, a slightly puzzled frown crinkling her brow.

"I'm here!" she stated decisively. Without turning her gaze from Jack she shot out a pale, blood streaked arm, finger pointing squarely at Teal'c. "_He's_ not all there. Gotta piece missing!"

Jack hesitated, eyes flickering over Teal'c's stomach before looking up into his team-mate's face. Teal'c raised his eyebrow in silent communication but Jack gave a minute shake of his head, dismissing his unspoken thoughts. He opened his mouth to ask another question but was stopped by a sudden exclamation.

"River."

Daniel glanced at Jack in confusion before saying hesitantly

"I don't think … There aren't any rivers around here." She looked back to him in amused derision.

"It's my name, dummy!"

"Oh!" Daniel felt a flush suffuse his cheeks and avoided looking at Carter's grin. "Pleased to meet you River. My name's Daniel." He said, extending a hand.

River ignored the offered clasp and rose gracefully to her feet. As her eyes scanned the horizon she seemed to shrink in on herself, wrapping her arms around her body in a desperate hug.

"I'm lost!" she moaned in a small voice. "Can't see the right thread. I'm so sorry Simon…" she trailed off in a whimper.

Jack felt a pain pull tight in his chest. The girl, barely more than a child really, who had been so self-assured a moment ago now looked defeated and very much alone. Jack moved to put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay" he soothed. "We'll get you home, won't we Carter?" he looked up in encouragement at the blonde scientist. She frowned, caught a little off-guard.

"Well … I'm afraid I was too far away and at the wrong angle to catch any of the symbols as she dialled in. If River can't remember the address of the gate she came from…" she trailed off under the weight of his glare.

"Won't we Carter?" he repeated slowly, in a deliberate tone that brooked no argument. She straightened to attention.

"Yes, sir, of course!" Her face brightened and she blurted out in relief, "Actually, sir, I've just remembered reading a report by Dr. Lee. He was working on a program to trace incoming wormholes. There's no reason why we can't adapt it to decode the hyperspacial memory buffers of … "

"See?" Jack interrupted brightly, "As I said, we'll get you home."

Carter shuddered as she glanced around at the two bodies. "Although if there are more of those where she came from, I'm not sure why she'd want to go back."

Jack grimaced. "Yeah! What'ya think Big Guy" he questioned. "Another fun filled prank from the friendly neighbourhood Goa'uld?"

Teal'c shook his head. "I have never seen their like, O'Neil."

"Uh, Guys?" Daniel interrupted, worried eyes on River's shivering figure. "Can the debate about what they are and where they came from wait until we're back on base? We really ought to get River some medical attention."

Colonel O'Neil gave a quick nod. "Sure. I was bored of the rocks and dirt anyway. Let's head back, people. Daniel, you dial. Carter, you gather up the geek stuff." She shot him a look, but headed back down the hill without a word.

River seemed to pull herself out of her funk at the sudden movement around her, and trailed after Daniel as he climbed the few steps to the summit. He stopped in front of the carved pedestal that had acquired the affectionate tag of Dial Home Device, or DHD. River reached out a hand to trail soft fingers over the raised emblems.

"I remembered." She murmured. "From long ago." She frowned "Or maybe still to unfold." She looked up at Daniel in irritation. "It's hard to keep track when your ontological perception of the flow of time isn't intersubjective."

"Riiight!" he drawled, pressing the final symbol and placing a hand on the glowing hemisphere at the centre of the column.

River flinched as the Stargate belched out its quicksilver flume before collapsing back into a serene, liquid silk doorway to the universe. She walked towards it, eyes fever bright, and stopped a hand's breadth from the glistening vertical pool. The others gathered behind her, Jack re-pocketing the GDO after using the device to announce their imminent arrival to the folks back home. River reached up reverently, skimming tentative fingers over the watery surface.

"So pretty!" she breathed in delight, beaming an incandescent smile at the group. "An origami of distant sunsets, reflected through the folds in the 'verse!"

Sam blinked in surprise. "Actually, sir, that's pretty much what those shimmers are. Photons of light from other dimensions are being refracted by the fluctuations in the event horizon."

O'Neil gave her a blank look. "Sooo … what you're saying is that she just made sense to you?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yes, sir. I think she may have a deep and instinctive understanding of wormhole physics." Carter gave a wry grin and lowered her voice to add "Either that or I'm reading far too much into the ramblings of a crazy person!" River glanced back at her, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out in infantile pique, causing Carter to shuffle her feet in embarrassment.

Before Carter could utter a word in her defence, River had turned back to the gate. Closing her eyes in rapture, arms spread as if to embrace the experience, River glided forward unhesitatingly and disappeared, leaving barely a ripple behind her.

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AN. My apologies to any Physicists out there. The technobabble is consistent with the Stargate ethos, but real life I'm not so sure about! 


	3. Emergence

Disclaimer: see chapter 1 

AN. Yay, I've had more reviews. They make me do the happy dance (which gets me odd looks at work!). If you want any more chapters any time soon, you know what you have to do (blackmail is such an ugly word, but accurate!). Thanks again to my Beta Little Moppet. She makes me speaking english good!

P.S. This has been updated due to a comment by Dragon-Raptor. Thanks for picking up on that! If everyone could point out when I make a whoopsie I'll try to correct them (unless they're all part of my cunning plan … Bwa, ha, ha!) I've also changed the chapter title, in case anyone was confused.

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**Chapter 3**

**Emergence**

"Incoming wormhole!" Sergeant Davis announced in a tight voice.

General Hammond went still, feeling a familiar tension creep into the muscles of his neck.

"I'm receiving SG1's IDC, sir" Davis continued with the barest flicker of relief.

"They're ahead of schedule, aren't they?" Hammond asked quietly, although his voice carried clearly in the strained silence of the control room.

"Yes, sir. They weren't due to check in for another two hours." The Sergeant shot a significant look at his commanding officer. "Shall I have med teams on standby, sir?" Hammond gave a mirthless smile, the image of unruffled authority.

"Let's not assume the worst. It could be that Colonel O'Neill got bored early!" There was a ripple of laughter amongst the half-dozen gate personnel present, but the air of tense expectation still crackled.

Although he knew he should remain at a professional distance, Hammond couldn't help giving in to his nervous energy and turned to march quickly down the stairs to the embarkation area, to be closer to the action.

He stood at parade rest, watching in approval as the Airman guarding the main doors stood stiffly to attention, unflinching as the metal iris covering the wormhole spiralled open with a smooth hiss.

There was a general sense of anticlimax as memories of flying bodies and weapons fire were dispelled by the emergence of a single figure, stepping serenely through the rippling membrane.

General Hammond stared for a second in startled perplexity at the delicate features of the young girl as she opened wide, dark eyes and scrutinised the room with nervous intensity. She murmured a phrase he could barely catch, in a breath of awed wonder.

"Earth-that-was!"

He glanced over at the guard, glad to see his weapon raised to point steadily at the new arrival. He'd been working this job for enough years to never dismiss the most unlikely looking threat.

He drew a breath but before he could even decide what order to give, the Stargate's surface was pierced again. With a clatter of boots three members of SG1 lurched forward gracelessly, their headlong rush almost colliding with the stunned girl. Teal'c followed at a more dignified pace, inclining his head in acknowledgement to General Hammond.

"SG1, are you alright?" Hammond barked.

"Oh, we're hunky-dory, sir!" Jack called back cheerfully, heedless of the look of impatience creeping over his superior officer's face.

"Then would you mind introducing me to our new arrival?"

Daniel leaned close to O'Neill and whispered:

"Oops, I think we may be in trouble."

Jack smirked.

"Yeah, should probably have called first before bringing a guest. You know, see if the place was tidy…" A meaningful cough from the bald Texan wiped the smile from his face and he gestured for his team to precede him down the ramp. "Okay, I think a bit of a pre-debrief is in order. Carter and I will go fill in General Hammond. Daniel, you and Teal'c take River to go and see Doc. Frasier."

They started forward purposefully but Teal'c paused, sensing that River had not moved from her frozen stillness. He turned and held out a large palm towards her. A gentle smile softened the stern contours of his face.

"You should come with me now." He instructed quietly. Her gaze snapped to his face.

"Teal'c" she announced. Her pronunciation, he noted, was perfect, unlike most humans that he met. Her dark eyes bored into his own for a moment before she added "Strength!"

Teal'c quirked an eyebrow in surprise. "That is indeed the meaning of my name." She reached forward decisively and took hold of his hand with the tight grip of a nervous child.

"Better than bad!" she muttered as he led her down the ramp. Daniel, trailing behind, frowned in puzzlement.

"Was that a compliment?"

--O--

Daniel couldn't help having a down-the-rabbit-hole moment as he followed the oddly contrasting pair. The dark, solid mass of the giant warrior walking hand in hand with the pale, fragile girl attracted a few odd looks as they paced the corridors of the SGC. River seemed oblivious to the stares. In fact with every step she became more withdrawn and silent. As they reached the door to the medical centre Teal'c felt a tug of resistance pull at his joined hand and turned to see a spark of terror growing in dull and haunted eyes.

"No!" she moaned, leaning her whole body away from the anchor holding her in place. "No, nononononoooo" - a chanted litany of fear.

The neat and compact form of Dr. Janet Frasier appeared at the door to the infirmary in response to the hunted cries. She pinned Daniel with a concerned, questioning glare.

"Hi, Janet. This is River. We were bringing her for you to…" He was cut off by an eerie, undulating wail.

"_Runtse de shang-dee, ching daiwuhtzo_."

Daniel cocked his head in surprised interest. "That was Mandarin. Um, I think she really doesn't want to go in there."

Janet tossed her head impatiently. "Well, you can explain to her that if she wants me to clean up those wounds she'll have to come inside." River was thrashing wildly now against the iron grip clamped around her wrist.

" Let me go! _Liou coe shway duh biao-tze huh hoe-tze duh bun ur-tze_." She screamed at her captor in frantic rage. Teal'c looked questioningly at Daniel who shook his head in bemusement.

"You really don't want to know!"

Janet looked in concern at the wild girl. "I'd better get a tranquilliser." She muttered, disappearing into her inner sanctum. Teal'c pulled sharply on the twisting limb in his grasp, catching River off balance. As she stumbled forward he spun quickly behind her and enclosed her shaking body in a firm embrace.

"Do not distress yourself." He spoke quietly, his head bent close to her ear. He looked up as Dr. Frasier came panting back into view, white coat flapping in her haste, a syringe half hidden behind her back.

"No, please no!" River cringed back against his solid chest. "Buried alive! Stuck with needles and eyes in my brain." Janet pasted a soothing smile onto her worried face.

"Don't worry." She hushed. "It'll all be alright."

"You must trust Dr. Frasier" Teal'c advised gravely. "She is an honourable woman and will do you no harm." River tossed her head in fevered denial.

"No. No more tests. Not your seer! I can't spin horses." Daniel's eyes sought out Janet's astonished stare. They exchanged a glance laden with memories of a young girl wired to a hospital bed, desperate gaze locked on a revolving chess piece into which she was channelling all the pain of imposed mental powers she couldn't contain.

"Seer … Does she mean Cassandra?"

"Did you tell her about my daughter?" The words were spoken simultaneously, Janet's laced with protective worry.

"Doctor!" Teal'c reminded, a jerk of his head indicating the still struggling girl he was carefully restraining. As if breaking free from a spell, Janet hurried forward. Crooning soft, sympathetic noises to the terrified girl she leaned in to empty the syringe into the side of River's neck with a professional economy of motion. The fight went out of her almost immediately and Teal'c bent to swing the sagging girl into his arms.

"Just bring her in here, Teal'c, and lay her on a bed." Janet started walking, looking back over her shoulder with a steely glare. "And maybe someone could fill me in on what the hell is going on here!"

"I'm not exactly sure!" Daniel admitted, following nervously behind. "We picked her up on P… whatever it was! We rescued her from some, well, monsters that were chasing her!" he grimaced a little at how corny that sounded, before hurrying on. "At first I thought she was a bit ... disturbed. But now I'm wondering if it's more than that." Teal'c nodded in agreement as he laid the limp body lightly on a bed, lifting her trailing, damaged arm to lay it carefully across her chest.

"Indeed!" he confirmed in a deep rumble. "She appears to be most perceptive." Janet surveyed the two with a sceptical glint.

"So what are we talking about here?" She sighed as no answer seemed to be forthcoming. She leant in, pity welling in her deep brown eyes, to brush a tangled lock of hair from the porcelain pale face which was still creased with a slight frown even in sleep.

"Well, that tranq will keep her out for a while. I guess I can run some tests before she wakes up. See if I can figure out what's wrong with her."

Daniel beamed in thanks. "Great, I'll let Colonel O'Neill know. See if you can have some preliminary conclusions for us in a couple of hours. We'll put off the full briefing 'til then." He turned to go, looking questioningly at his large friend.

"I shall see you later, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c continued staring down at the still form. "I believe I shall stay here a while longer." Daniel smiled in understanding. He looked in affection at the rigid, stoic pose of the warrior as he loomed protectively over the sleeping girl.

"Look after her, Teal'c." he murmured sadly to himself, as he turned to go. "I think she needs all the champions she can get."

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Chinese Phrases in order of appearance:

_Merciful God please take me away_

_Stupid son of a drooling whore and a monkey_


	4. Affirmation

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1_

_AN. New chapter at last! Sorry for the delay, a burnt out computer screen and nasty annoying University work got in the way of the important things in life like writing and TV watching! Anyway, enjoy! (I hope)_

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Chapter 4

**Affirmation **

The briefing room seemed more crowded than usual. For a small person, the doctor could certainly take up a lot of room. The rich, dark pattern of the oak and leather conference table was almost buried beneath an avalanche of papers and graphs.

Janet Frasier sat with her arms folded, a foot tapping impatiently as she waited for the discussion to work its way around to her new patient. Colonel O'Neill and General Hammond had considered the events on P1X-701 and the potential threat to the SGC to be of greater priority.

"So, the two hostiles you took out. You believe them to have been human?" Hammond queried.

Jack grimaced at the recollection. "Well, they were pretty messed up but, yeah! I think they were human once. Don't know what made them to go all creature-feature though."

The General's face became very serious. "Is it possible they were carrying some sort of disease?"

Janet shook her head with authority. "I did thorough blood-workups on River and all the members of SG1. They seem clear of any pathogens, sir."

Jack gave her an evil look and clutched his upper arm protectively, leaning over to whisper to Carter.

"Any excuse to break out the big needles!"

Sam smothered a grin. Making an obvious effort to maintain decorum she spoke up. "We'd have to retrieve one of the bodies for further testing to rule out a biological agent for certain."

General Hammond stared thoughtfully at her with furrowed brow. He was clearly unhappy with the notion of introducing such a spectre onto his base.

"Let's leave that on the 'to do' list for now." He stated firmly. "What have we learnt from questioning the young girl you rescued?" There was an awkward shuffling of feet.

Jack spoke up defensively. "Well, sir, it was kinda hard to get any useful Intel. She's not exactly ... well, she's definitely a few kinks short of a slinky!"

Daniel scowled at him in disapproval. "I don't think she's insane, just a little cryptic. Actually, she kind of reminds me of Oma. You know, '_if you know the candlelight is fire_...'" He trailed off with a shrug. They all jumped as a small voice spoke from the doorway.

"The meal was cooked a long time ago."

All heads snapped around as one to stare at the slight figure hugging the doorjamb. She stood poised on bare feet, looking lost and infinitely breakable inside the overlarge hospital scrubs. Jack had risen to his feet either in alarm or protest at the unexpected intrusion. Before anyone could comment a sound of hurrying feet announced the flustered entrance of Airman Groves. A flush of relief washed over his anxious young features as he caught sight of River. Becoming aware of the illustrious gathering into which he had just stumbled, he came to attention with almost comic dismay. O'Neill pasted a mock disapproving scowl over his amused smirk.

"I'm fairly sure your orders were to guard the infirmary, not give a tour of the base!" he snapped.

The young man drew himself almost painfully erect, eyes straight ahead.

"Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!" He swallowed nervously. "I don't know how she got away from me, sir. I only turned away for a second, sir and she was gone!"

General Hammond stepped forward, taking pity on the quivering soldier. "I don't believe the base was in too much danger this time." He smiled in an avuncular fashion at the wide-eyed child still clinging to the doorframe in front of the stiff young man. "Why don't you escort Miss River back to the infirmary. Maybe you could even pick her up something to eat along the way."

"No." The quiet voice was firm and resolute. She looked up at him through long snarls of ink-black hair, her gaze pure steel. "I have to be here. I need to know."

There was a moment of silence as Hammond examined the pale, delicate face. His eyes slid from the livid bruise forming at her temple, lurid against the luminous translucence of her skin, to the hint of pleading in those bottomless eyes.

Major Carter broke the silence with a tentative suggestion.

"If we let her stay maybe she could answer a few questions for us?"

Jack waved his hand in a little gesture of impatience. "Yeah, like whether or not she's an Ancient. I mean she seems to know the password to ascension." He turned to face River, eyebrows raised. "So what about it, Sweetheart. Are you going to go all glowy on us?" he asked her directly.

River stood silent and solemn, a look of slight puzzlement on her face. Janet rose swiftly to her feet, as if literally springing to the young girl's defence.

"No, it's nothing like that. My tests have shown she's very human." She moved around the table with clipped, aggressive strides. She positioned herself between River and the General. Her normally soft brown eyes were fever bright with fury. She spoke in a tight, dangerous voice, her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at her side. "Sir, from what I can tell this girl has been the victim of the most intrusive experimentation that I could possibly imagine. She's been put through numerous unnecessary surgical procedures and it has left her understandably traumatised." Her eyes flashed dangerously as she coolly suggested, "If she wants to hear the results of the tests I've done, I believe she has that right."

General Hammond gave the compact, almost vibrating form of his Chief Medical Officer a long measuring look. His nod of assent released a tangible wave of relief from several people in the room. Despite her size, Dr. Frasier could be even more intimidating than Teal'c when her protective hackles were raised. Janet smiled gratefully and spun around to shoo impatiently at the young Airman. He backed away uncertainly and glanced at Hammond who smiled kindly.

"You're dismissed, son." The young man practically fled from the room. Janet put a kind arm around River's thin shoulders.

"Why don't you come and sit down?" she asked gently. River flinched away from the contact and then turned to stare hard at the doctor, her large eyes glistening with sadness.

"Heroes." She muttered in a quiet, resigned tone. "They never last long."

She turned away from the perplexed woman to pad softly over to the desk. Teal'c stood and pulled a chair out for her in a gesture of timeless chivalry. She climbed onto it and hugged her legs to her chest, resting her cheek on her knees to peer sideways at them.

Janet seemed to shake off her bemusement and came back to the table, staring down at her papers.

"I ran an EEG and a couple of MEG scans on her whilst she was sleeping. The results were … incredible!" Janet's face was an unreadable conflict of emotions as she stared down at the colourful diagrams. "Her brain has undergone massive restructuring. There've been multiple incisions into her limbic system." She shook off her absorption long enough to glance up and explain. "That's a part of the brain used to control emotional responses and 'filter' incoming information. Parts of her amygdala have been removed which, we believe, are responsible for some aspects of personal identity and important functions related to memory. What's really interesting is that whoever's done this seems to have stimulated growth of the basal ganglia which, among other things, is critical for maintaining the brain's timekeeping system."

She shook her head slightly in wonder. "This level of brain manipulation is way beyond anything we're capable of."

Daniel half-raised a hand, tentatively trying to break into the doctor's preoccupied silence.

"Is anyone else thinking Hok'Taur? I mean we know that several Goa'uld have been trying for centuries to breed more advanced humans to make better hosts."

Janet nodded encouragingly. "That was my first thought. The technology is definitely advanced enough."

Her eyes flashed angrily as she ground out "The arrogance of these procedures, the total disregard of the consequences for the patient, are certainly consistent with what was done to the children of Hanka." She broke off, cheeks flushed and continued in a quieter voice "And to my daughter." That soft admission revealed to the room, and also to herself, the source of some of her indignant outrage.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on River's motionless, curled body. She cleared her throat deliberately and continued in a more professional tone. "River's case isn't really a close parallel to Cassandra's. There's no evidence of any retrovirus infection to rewrite her DNA. It did present some features I found familiar, though."

She held up a multicoloured blueprint of the inside of a skull. "See these reticular infiltrates from the base of the brain to the frontal lobe?" Sam and Daniel leaned forward eagerly, eyes tracing the wiggly lines she indicated. Jack didn't look up from the doodle he was drawing. He was waiting for the inevitable dumbed down summary.

Janet continued undaunted. "They're almost identical to the non-cancerous tumour that Jonas Quinn developed as a result of being exposed to Nurrti's machine." She paused to fix the room with a significant look. "The experiment that led to him experiencing precognitive visions."

Jack finally looked up at this, his brow creased in a thick scowl. "You think this is Nurrti's handiwork? One of her attempts to build a better brain?"

Janet looked sceptically at River. She hadn't moved an inch during the discussions and it wasn't clear from her slightly glazed and distant stare how much was registering with her.

"It's possible." Dr. Frasier mused, but her voice was thick with doubt. "I'm certain that this treatment will have left her with some … unusual abilities. On a purely physical level her reaction speed will be heightened, as will her fine muscle control." She caught the furtive glances that SG1 shot towards the motionless young girl and felt compelled to elaborate to try to dispel the sudden unease.

"In Parkinson's disease a drop in the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine causes degradation in control of muscle movement, emotional response and the perception of time. I suppose she could be described as having a kind of anti-Parkinson's disease. Her dopamine levels are five times higher than they should be." She grimaced, frustrated at the blank looks she was receiving. She braced her hands on the table and leaned forward earnestly, determined to get her point across to the group.

"The mental side-effects of what she's been put through must be immense. I don't think any Goa'uld could, or would even want to, cope with the mess that someone has made of this girl's mind. Not only will her perception of the world be skewed but it's also hyperacute. All sensation and emotion have been tied into the cognitive area of the brain. The line between thinking and feeling must be virtually non-existent. Every moment will be a chaotic jumble of experiences that she has to sort through to make sense of the world." She straightened and crossed her arms defensively across her chest, her shoulders slumping in frustration. Her eyes lingered in sympathy on the top of River's dark head.

"I've given her a shot of Lorazapram which seems to have calmed her down, but really, I'm amazed that she can be coherent as she is!"

"It helps."

Dr. Frasier flinched in surprise as she suddenly found River's eyes fixed on her with startling lucidity. River spoke quietly, as if for Janet's ears alone.

"I know that I'm here, and that now is now, not then."

Jack stared at her with raised brows. "This is better?" he muttered dubiously before giving a tight smile. "I guess everything's relative!"

Carter frowned impatiently. "So what are we saying here? Do we think a Goa'uld did this or not?"

Teal'c made a minute adjustment to his posture that somehow immediately drew all eyes to him. "There is one amongst us who could answer that question, if we but knew how to ask."

Daniel stared at him for a moment, surprised that the normally laconic Jaffa had had to point out something so obvious. Truth be told, River had been so still during the discussions that he had almost forgotten she was present in the room. He leaned forward, trying to lower his eyes to the level of her line of sight.

"River?" he kept his voice soft and non-threatening. "Do you know what a Goa'uld is?" She continued staring past his right ear, pupils dilated.

He tried a different tack, with the patience that a long friendship with Jack O'Neill had taught him. "Can you tell me what the main form of religion is on your planet? What is it that most people worship?" Slowly those dark eyes drifted over to his face and her focus sharpened from its thousand-yard stare. A little line creased her wide forehead as she struggled to understand the question.

"Money?" she suggested uncertainly, glancing around with interest at the faces staring at her for validation that she'd provided the correct answer.

Jack barked a frustrated half laugh. "Great, she comes from the planet of the yuppies!"

Daniel pinned him with a stifling glare before smoothing his features back into comforting lines as he turned back to River. "That's true of a lot of people here, too." He reassured her with a gentle smile. "But is there one God, or Goddess, that people pay allegiance to?"

River cocked her head with bird-like quickness, her thoughts turning inward as she considered the question.

"The Shepherd had the Good Book. I thought it was an object. Didn't understand its iconic symbolism."

Daniel shot a startled glance back at his teammates. "The Bible! The Goa'uld rarely allow Christianity to flourish on their planets."

"Yeah!" Jack growled in agreement. "Doesn't really fit with their image of Godhood. Except Sokar, of course... He did a pretty convincing impersonation of the devil."

Teal'c, ignoring Jack's diatribe, was staring hard at the still huddled young girl. "River?" he called in a quiet voice.

"Tam" she whispered, her eyes connecting with his. He hesitated, raising a brow questioningly. "River Tam. Is me." She elaborated. He inclined his head in gratitude.

"Thank you, River Tam." He was obviously more at ease with the respectfully formal mode of address. "Have you ever seen men marked in such a way as this?" he queried, his large fingers brushing lightly over the raised gold oval on his forehead.

She stared at it, eyes wide, and a wince flashed over her smooth features. She dispelled it with an emphatic shake of her head.

"So!" Jack broke the silence. "Not a Goa'uld?" It was half question, half statement. He scowled, his lips a thin line of anger and frustration. "So that means we've got someone else out there who thinks it's fun to play God." There was no answer to this and his eyes rested on the thin young girl, swamped in her borrowed cotton scrubs like a child playing dress-up.

"I mean why the hell did they do this to the kid?" He exploded, his voice rough with pent up outrage. "What use is creating a psychic if you have to drive them crazy to do it?"

"Toy soldiers." The anger drained out of him as River's quiet voice spoke out. She suddenly straightened from her crouch and faced the group with the self-assurance of a professor imparting vital knowledge.

"But they wound me too tight. A spring broke."

An uneasy silence filled the room as each person contemplated this. For once nobody was in much doubt as to the meaning behind the softly spoken words. And although every eye shone with sympathy, no one could find it in them to respond.

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_AN. Like it? Hated it? Click on that little button just down there and drop me a line to tell me which bits I did good on or should improve. Go on, it only takes a minute and it makes me make funny squeaky noises._


	5. Visitation

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

AN/ Thanks again to all those who have reviewed. It makes me do the Dance of Joy! Once more I have to say a big thankyou to Little Moppet who not only gives me enough encouragement to keep me writing but also prevents me from slipping into lazy habits! It's enough to make you sick! Not only is she a fantastic writer (check out her stuff, it puts mine to shame!) but it also turns out she's one heck of an artist! If you look at my profile page you'll find a link to the front cover she's created for this story. Now I can have it bound up as a novel (when I finally finish!). There's no better feeling. You all should commission this woman to do a cover for your stories! She's fab! Plus, almost forgot to thank my friend Tom for the crash course on advances in tecnology. He makes me sound clever! Anyway, on with the story.

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**Chapter 5**

**Visitation**

Samantha Carter ran a long fingered hand through her short blonde hair, leaving crazy peaks and tufts in the already tousled curls. A thick typed report had been well shuffled and fanned out over the desk in front of her. In four places the untidy stacks were pinned in position by mugs of coffee, ranging from tepid to skinned and wrinkled. Sam groped out an arm for her latest shot of caffeine, her steady sapphire gaze illuminated by the soft glow of the laptop screen in front of her. She took a long gulp then gagged, her eyes finally travelling down in disgust to the mug in her hand. She pulled a face as she tried to scrape the cloying film of curdled coffee from her tongue with her teeth.

"Not going well, huh?" Sam looked up, her body tensing with irritation at the interruption. She relaxed with a welcoming smile as she saw a slightly dishevelled Janet Frasier leaning tiredly in the doorway to the small, cluttered laboratory.

"Janet!" She greeted her in surprise. "I thought you were still on P1X-701."

Dr. Frasier nodded wearily. "I just got back with the bodies of your two friends. General Hammond wanted me to confirm that they wouldn't present a hazard before bringing them back for a full autopsy."

Sam grimaced in sympathy. "And?"

"They're clean." Janet frowned in disgust. "Well, not exactly clean. Actually, they stink. They're also emitting quite a high level of radiation, although nothing we can't handle. As for the rest …" she scowled in recollection. "Well, you saw them!"

Sam shivered at the memory of that distorted snarl screaming down the hill towards her. "I may never forget." She murmured, glancing at her friend with a wry, humourless smile. "Although I kind of avoided looking at them too closely." she admitted, slightly abashed.

Janet sighed deeply. "No, that's my job. Lucky me!" She rubbed her hands over her upper arms as if warding off a chill. "To be honest, I'm not exactly looking forward to digging any deeper." She pulled a face. "My preliminary examination was pretty gruesome."

Haunted brown eyes found comfort in the supportive blue summer sky of Sam's gaze. "I thought by now I'd seen it all." Janet took a steadying breath, her lips thin and etched with deep lines. "You know, I found epidermis from three different sources sewn into their clothing and, on one of them, even directly into his scalp!"

Sam gulped, swallowing down a wave of nausea. "You mean … human skin?"

Janet nodded solemnly. "Nice, huh? That's one fashion statement I'm hoping won't catch on." Her grin seemed a bit forced as she attempted to relieve the tension. "Anyway, you can see why I'm a little reluctant to head back to my lab." She shrugged wryly. "Hence the prevarication and the detour to go and interrupt someone else's work. So?" she queried with a sympathetic raise of an eyebrow. "Seems like I'm not the only one having a bad day!"

Sam snapped back to the present and glanced down at the uncooperative computer with a look of reproach. She slammed the lid of the laptop down in controlled frustration. "I just can't figure it out!" she growled. "All our current knowledge of the Stargate system suggests that this program should work, but when we tried it at the Beta site … Nothing!"

Janet hissed out a sympathetic breath. "Aren't you supposed to be on leave? I'm sure I remember hearing that Jacob was coming for a visit."

Sam glanced up at the wall clock and scowled. "Yeah, Dad's due in about an hour, but I have to get this working. I promised the Colonel!"

Janet straightened from her tired slouch and stalked into the room, her posture radiating concern at the note of panic creeping into her friend's voice. "Maybe I can help."

Sam looked up in surprise and paused, groping for a tactful answer. "Um, I don't …"

Janet grinned mischievously. "I come bearing freshly brewed coffee." She pulled out a large thermos that had nestled unnoticed in the deep recesses of her lab coat pocket and waved it back and forth enticingly. She pressed on as she saw indecision flicker over Sam's elfin face. "Look, you're worn out!" She placed the thermos firmly on the closed laptop. "I prescribe a break and a gossip with a friend over a hot drink."

"Janet!" Sam's protest was almost a wail. "I have to get this done. That poor girl's depending on me to get her home!"

"Sam!" The sudden steel in Janet's voice cut through Sam's whirling thoughts and she froze, blinking up in surprise at her friend. Janet unbent from her stern posture now that she had dispelled some of the frustrated desperation that had screwed the blonde scientist into a knot of nervous energy. "Look, River's doing just fine." The reassurance was spoken in soft, soothing tones. "I still don't think she trusts me very much, but she seems calmer. I'm sure she can wait a couple more days for you to solve this. And we all know you will!"

Sam sighed as the familiar weight of other people's faith in her ability to solve any puzzle settled onto her cramped and aching shoulders.

Janet continued, oblivious to her friend's sudden weariness. "How often do you get to spend a weekend with your father?" she asked, her voice gently persuasive.

Sam smiled. "It's ironic actually." she mused, leaning back in her chair. "I've spent more time with him since he became a Tokra and emigrated to the other side of the galaxy than I did in the whole of the decade before." The smile slowly slid from her face and the frustrated frown lines crept back between her eyes. "I won't be able to relax though, knowing that I still can't get this tracking program working. I just can't get what's wrong!"

"Crystals don't remember the same."

Both women started and spun to face the doorway, where once again River had appeared without warning. She looked less frail. Her hair had been brushed from its dark, sweaty ropes into a gossamer wave of chocolate that spilled over her shoulders. Someone had sewn and washed her torn dress and the light material rippled around her calves, billowing with unseen breezes. Her eyes, though, were still lost in dark shadows.

Janet took a step towards her, her face a mask of surprise. "River! What are you doing here?"

"I got bored." River said simply. "I wanted to play with the numbers."

The doctor rolled her eyes in exasperation and turned to Sam, catching her with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Sam, can I borrow your phone? I need to contact the infirmary to let them know where River is. Airman Groves will be panicking that he's lost her again."

Sam nodded absently, her eyes never leaving River's face. "River, what did you mean …" She trailed off as River glided into the room and scooped up several of the sheets of paper from her desk with an absent gesture.

"These are wrong." River was staring at the pages, a slight frown wrinkling her wide brow. She pounced on a large highlighter pen half hidden under the laptop and, pulling the lid off with her teeth, crouched over the desk to write furiously in long sweeping strokes that covered a whole page with an elegant cursive script in the space of a few breaths. She discarded it and reached for another.

"Oh, Honey! Don't" Janet stepped forward in protest, reaching for the pen.

"It's okay." Sam waved her off with a smile. "I can always print off another. Besides most of it's junk anyway."

Janet hesitated. "Well, I should really get her back to the Infirmary and out of your way."

River paused in her frenetic scribbling and looked up, her nose wrinkling. "I don't like it there. It smells of death and disinfectant."

Sam had taken advantage of River's momentary distraction to liberate some of the crumpled report and was now staring intently at the thick luminous green whirls that looped over the neat black printing.

"Hey, this bit's an equation. I'm not quite sure what …" Sam muttered, mainly to herself.

"The signal travels in the light. Different bits on different planes." River's voice was slow and patient as if explaining something obvious to a small child.

Samantha Carter fixed the young girl with a penetrating stare, her eyes narrowed in thought. "You're talking about the optical technology of the DHD aren't you?" She glanced down again at the lurid calligraphy. "This bit here, you've circled a mention of polarised light, but what's this diagram around it?"

River rolled her eyes and snatched the page back, adding more lines with quick, flicking strokes of the pen. "It's a crystal brain, all the thoughts running in parallel." She flourished the page under Sam's nose in an impatient gesture.

Sam stared at it and then at River's face in wide eyed wonder. "An optical neural network! Of course! That might mean that it could have an auto-associative memory stored at a microcrystalline or even quantum level. That would explain why we've been having no luck interfacing with it." She peered down enthusiastically at a particularly dense area of beautifully drawn letters and numbers. "What does this bit mean?"

River's eyes had lost their bright focus and she put the pen down absently. "You're hair's a mess." she told Sam solemnly.

Sam blinked and then grinned, a hand creeping up to her head to press flat the wayward tufts.

"Am I interrupting something?" A deep, warmly humorous voice shattered the moment, causing Sam and Janet to whip around to face the doorway once more. A flash of happiness lit up Sam's face.

"Dad!" Sam leapt up from the desk and strode over to engulf the new arrival in a tight embrace. Jacob grunted and nodded over the shoulder of his human straightjacket at the welcoming smile of Dr. Frasier. Sam finally stepped back, a little embarrassed at her uncharacteristic display. "You're early!" She continued, in a considerably less high-pitched tone.

Jacob held her by both shoulders and looked down into her sparkling blue eyes, a wide grin creasing his lean and leathery face. "Good to see you too, kiddo!" He glanced around at the scattered documents covering her desk. "Am I interrupting something?

Sam broke away to start shuffling the papers into more ordered piles with hurried, self-conscious movements. "Well, I was stuck on something, but we've actually just had a bit of a breakthrough."

Jacob's attention had shifted to the third occupant of the room. The young girl in the sundress hadn't moved or acknowledged his entrance at all. Her delicate face seemed frozen into a blank mask, dominated by staring, Cimmerian eyes. "Who's your friend?" he asked mildly.

Janet was the first person to register River's unnatural stillness. "River?" she queried, taking a step towards her. As if the sound of her name had released her from a spell, River suddenly swirled into fluid action. She flung herself around to behind the desk in a pirouette of whirling skirts and pulled the swivel chair in front of her with a white knuckled grip.

"_Nǐ bú shì rén_!" she screamed in an unearthly wail.

Jacob took a step back, his alarmed gaze snapping from the wild, cowering girl to the perplexed face of his daughter. "Was it something I said?" he asked uncertainly.

Sam glanced questioningly at Janet, but the doctor's attention was fixed on the terrified girl towards whom she was edging with reassuring gestures. "Um, I'm not sure!" Sam muttered anxiously. "It's possible she's picking up the presence of Selmac."

The look of concern on Jacob's long face was replaced by detached interest as his Tokra symbiote took temporary control of his body. "Interesting!" he commented, his voice now reverberating with a deep, metallic note. "How is that possible?"

River let out a whimper as the inhuman accent echoed around her. "Aten!" she cried with heart stopping fear. Janet and Sam exchanged glances of confusion, whilst Jacob blinked in surprised alarm. It was only because the room had fallen so silent that anyone caught River's next words, expelled softly in a sob of despair.

"Blue sun!"

--O--

Chinese phrase:

"_Nǐ bú shì rén_" – You're not human

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AN/ So, questions, comments? As always, I drool over any comments, and like constructive criticism almost as much as praise! So hit that button just down there! Pretty please! It'll make me update faster, promise! 


	6. Mourning

Disclaimer: See chapter 1 

AN/ Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, I've been feeling like death on a bad day for a while now! This chapter is a little shorter than normal as I didn't have very much I wanted to say, but thought you might like to hear from our favourite transport crew. Thanks as always to all those whose comments have helped inspire and improve my writing, including my friend Tom and my beta Little Moppet. Hope you enjoy. As always, I'm keen to hear about bits you did or didn't like as I am always open to changing or improving this story.

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**Chapter 6 **

**Mourning**

Mal sat slumped at the dining room table, squinting into the shimmer of the recessed central glow strip that was the sole source of illumination in the darkened room. One hand rested limply on a thigh clad in tight brown suede, the other formed a loose cage around a half-full glass of spirits. The level of the clear, colourless liquid hadn't changed during the last two hours and a thin line of crystals had formed around the rim of the drink where the alcohol had been lost to the meagre warmth of the room.

He flinched, and raised a hand to shield his eyes as they were suddenly assaulted by a wash of stark, white light.

"Oh God! Cap'n, you near scared the crap outta me!" Kaylee stood poised in the doorway, pressing fingers to the fluffy bear sewn onto the breast of her grease stained overalls. "What'cha doing, sitting there all alone in the dark?" She shifted her weight uncomfortably as the silence lengthened. Mal just went back to staring into his drink, ignoring the question that didn't really need an answer.

Kaylee took a couple of hesitant steps towards the kitchen then gasped as Mal shifted and the light fell across his misshapen face.

"Oh, Ouch!" Her pretty, winsome features screwed up in an exaggerated wince. "Those have coloured up right pretty, ain't they?"

Her eyes swam with compassion and unhappiness as they lingered over the sick rainbow that spread in shades of pain over his swollen cheekbone. Mal half raised his free hand at the reminder, but checked the motion, having learned from experience that prodding the bruises didn't do much to help them heal. He ran the tip of his tongue gingerly over the crusted line of his split lip, reliving the moment of impact when knuckles had ground the soft flesh into his teeth.

As soon as Simon had woken he had been consumed with the need to find Mal. He hadn't had far to go. He'd tackled him in the common area, just outside the infirmary, where Mal had been loitering. Simon had knocked him flat in a wordless lunge and knelt on his chest, delivering blow after blow with an almost mechanical savagery. Mal shivered as he recalled how the normally smooth lines of the young man's aristocratic face had been distorted into a rictus of pain and rage. It might, at least in part, have been surprise at the transformation of the once logical and controlled doctor that had held Mal frozen in place beneath the punishing fists.

He didn't know how long the scene would have stretched out. Kaylee hovering just out of reach, white faced in horror, a hand pressed tightly over her mouth to hold in the sobs. Jayne looking on impassively from the doorway to the infirmary, a curiously blank expression on his thickset features. The moment of madness had been broken when Zoe had pulled Simon's heaving form from off her Captain, with enough force that the suddenly limp young man had slid across the room to land in a heap against the steps up to the hanger bay.

"I've had worse." Mal finally muttered, shifting uncomfortably under Kaylee's troubled gaze. "No doubt will again."

Kaylee's eyes slid away from Mal's shadowed face and she shuffled a couple of side steps towards the kitchen.

"I was just heading ta fix up some soup or somethin'. I'm hopin' ta tempt Simon outta his bunk," she babbled awkwardly. "He ain't so much as stirred a toe outta there in nigh on two days, not since he … well ..." she trailed off unhappily and spun around a little too quickly to step behind the counter into the kitchen.

Mal watched her flustered movements and tried to think of a sensitive way to suggest that she stop clucking around Simon like a mother hen.

"Gorram it, Kaylee! Give the boy some space." Aw, Hell! Sensitive never was his strong suit. Now he'd gone and put that hurt look in those big brown eyes that hit you like a kick in the guts.

Mal opened his mouth to try to find some magic phrase to make things right. The words he was searching for died unsaid as he watched a vivid flood of emotions wash over Kaylee's expressive face, which finally settled into a cloud of apprehension. Mal turned slowly to follow the line of her anguished gaze and saw Simon crumpled heavily against the doorframe.

Mal rose slowly to his feet, placing his drink deliberately onto the table to leave his hands free and loose at his sides. His body shifted naturally into a defensive posture, weight on the balls of his feet, knees slightly flexed. The clench of his jaw muscles and the hard glint that crept into his eyes screamed out a warning that he was through being anyone's punching bag.

Simon seemed oblivious to the belligerent body language. He hadn't moved from his slump, his eyes staring vacantly into the room. Mal barely recognised the wreck in front of him as the same pompous and prissy doctor who had first boarded his ship. Simon's hair was tousled into furrows from the sweep of clenched fingers. Deep creases cut his finely tailored dark suit and his chin was rough with a sandpaper speckling of stubble.

Mal felt the tension drain out of his muscles as he registered the doctor's bloodshot and lifeless stare. This wasn't a man looking for trouble. He looked tired and defeated, like something had died inside of him.

"Somethin' I can help you with, doc?" Mal winced at how formal and stilted his words sounded in his own ears. He'd meant it as a genuine offer of reconciliation.

Simon's eyes focussed on Mal's face like it was the one fixed point in a shifting maelstrom. He skimmed over the blossoming bruises without comment or change of expression.

"I have to go back. I have to find her." His voice was sluggish and flat.

Mal ignored the intake of breath from the kitchen at the first words Simon had uttered since leaving Verbena, and focussed his entire being on the dishevelled young man in front of him.

"Doc, that ain't gonna do no-one no good." Mal spoke slowly and carefully, as if afraid of triggering an explosion. "There ain't nothin' left ta find."

Simon pinned him with a hard stare and Mal flinched from the desolate numbness of those iceberg blue-grey eyes.

"There's her body."

Mal stifled a groan and closed his eyes tight in denial of the image of what would be left of that shining, ethereal girl. He opened them again hurriedly to dispel the red splatters that danced in front of his eyelids.

"There ain't a one of us want to see her like that, doc." Mal was dismayed to hear that his voice, which he'd meant to be firm and final, had a quaver of pleading behind it.

The tense standoff was broken by a flurry of movement as Kaylee swung back around the kitchen counter to come and stand closer to the two men.

"He's right, Cap'n. We should give her a proper burial." Her voice was resolute, though the catch to her breathing and the tears welling in the corners of her eyes showed how much she was hurting. "She don't deserve to be out there all alone." She trailed off, her eyes wide in silent appeal.

Mal sighed in bone-deep weariness. "_Tzao gao_, this is such a bad idea!"

He couldn't believe he was even considering it. He and Zoe knew full well that there was precious little peace to be had from putting the scattered remains of friends and loved ones into the ground. Hell, there might not even be enough of her left to recognise.

Still, he knew the boy needed this. Looking after River had been his whole life. Until he'd done this last thing for her he'd never find a new reason to go on. Plus Mal could never resist those brown eyes of Kaylee's. Eyes that that seemed older now after knowing the touch of death that he's hoped never to see reflected there. Wash would help sway Zoe; he'd think it was a great notion once he got wind of it.

Also, there'd be one helluva lot of unclaimed salvage lying around with none but the corpses to claim it. He loathed himself for thinking the thought, but it was the God's own truth that they could all do with a break from work, legal or otherwise. And it might be the only means of persuading Jayne to land on Reaver struck-turf. They'd need to stash their current hold of cargo somewhere first.

"We're short of a day's ride from Haven. We'll pick up Shepherd Book on the way," he finally decided, and was rewarded by a gasp of delight from Kaylee. "He'll want to say a few words over the dead," he added absently.

Simon frowned as if to protest. Mal cut him off. "It'll not be but a couple o' days delay, doctor, and those folks ain't exactly goin' anywhere!"

Simon nodded slowly. Mal turned to stride out of the room, leaving the two standing alone; Simon slumped and barely there and Kaylee with one hand reaching out to him, hovering uncertainly a few inches above his sloping shoulder.

Mal walked slowly toward the cockpit, not looking forward to the forthcoming conversation with his First Mate. Zoe would be bound to point out the fundamental dumbness of this scheme, and he couldn't help but agree with her.

He had a strong notion that there was nothing but trouble waiting for them on that godforsaken planet, and that they might all regret this course of action before too long.

* * *

Chinese phrases:

_Tzao gao_ – Crap/ Damn!


	7. Reporting

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1_

_AN/ Updated thanks to the kind editing of Little Moppet. Thank you for making my brain work better! The cool thing about this chapter is that the archeology is all true (well, you know, to a certain extent!). I'm not an expert though so please point out any errors if you spot them! Ta!_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

**Reporting**

Jack let loose a curse at the insistent sound of the ringing phone behind his front door. He fumbled the keys from his pocket, scraped them into the lock and flinging the door wide lunged for the receiver. He had been convinced that it would cut off the second he got there, but instead he was rewarded by a deep, calm voice, which cut through the tinny interference.

"General Hammond! What can I do for you sir?" The light note of pleased surprise in O'Neil's voice overlaid a deep current of wariness. His body suddenly stiffened and he pressed the smooth plastic hard against his ear as he listened, his free hand gripping the phone cable and pulling the looped flex into a taut line.

"Is she okay?" Jack's voice was tight with concern but gradually relaxed as the other man spoke. He released his white knuckled grip on the wire, watching absently as it sprang back into its spiral.

He released a heavy sigh into the questioning silence. "Sure, I can be back on base in just over thirty minutes." He glanced forlornly at the pile of post scattered over his doormat. The brown cardboard of a package emblazoned with the Amazon logo peeked out, taunting him with hours of cartoony goodness that he'd have to postpone yet again. He frowned into the receiver.

"Are you sure this isn't some sort of revenge for my forgetting your birthday last week?" O'Neil demanded accusingly. The General's response provoked a bark of laughter and Jack grinned, good humour restored.

"Okay, sir! I'm leaving now." His voice was dry with heavy sarcasm as he added "Don't let them start without me!"

He settled the phone back into its cradle and snatched up his keys from where he'd dropped them on the hall table. He shook his head in resignation as he took one last look around the too-clean house, taking a deep breath of the musty aroma before closing the door firmly behind him.

--O--

The scene in the conference room was one of controlled chaos. Sam and Jacob Carter were talking animatedly, heads bowed close together. Sam was conducting the conversation with enthusiastic hand gestures. Daniel was almost completely buried behind a stockade of books, his glasses perched low on his nose as he rifled hurriedly through the pages of a thick volume. Teal'c and General Hammond sat apart from the atmosphere of fevered energy, both with stiff spines in separate cocoons of unruffled authority.

Jack stalked into the room with a nod for his commanding officer. He pulled out a chair with a grating screech that brought all eyes to him.

"So!" he expelled on a breath of air as he collapsed onto the seat. "What's up, kids?"

Sam paused, collecting her thoughts. "We've had a little … incident with River."

Jack gave a wry smirk. "So I hear!" He pasted a disapproving scowl onto his face and glared at Jacob. "What have I told you about the Tokra improving their social skills? It's not nice to scare young girls!"

Jacob's mouth quirked in a dry smile. "Hey! It's not like I pulled faces or went Boo! I barely said a word."

Jack switched his attention to Carter. "So what do we think?" he asked her. "Did River's messed up, fortune cookie brain pick up on Selmac's charming presence?" His voice was sarcastic but laced with underlying concern for the young girl whose anguish had touched them all.

Sam nodded slightly. "She was certainly reacting very strongly to the presence of a symbiote. She was babbling something about a snake when Dr. Frasier finally got her sedated." She frowned in thought and continued, almost to herself. "It could be that she's somehow able to detect the Naquada in his body, like Cassandra can. But then Teal'c and I still have traces of Nahquada in our bodies, why didn't she react to that? Unless it's because we've both lost our symbiotes …"

"It's more than that." All eyes snapped around to Jacob. Or rather to Selmac, as the hollow voice and glowing eyes announced that the Tokra had once again taken temporary control over its host. He continued in a thick voice, almost arrogant in its confidence. "She knew me because she has made contact with a Goa'uld before. She mentioned a name I recognised. Aten."

Daniel Jackson leaned forward eagerly at this cue, and Jack groaned under his breath. The archaeologist had obviously been previously informed of this nugget of information, hence the stack of books, and was eager to deliver his lecture.

"Aten was an Egyptian god representing the spirit of the solar disk itself. Not much is known about where he came from, except that for a long time he was worshipped as a minor sun god only in one little town in the neighbourhood of Heliopolis." Daniel pushed his glasses back up his nose, and Sam took advantage of the pause to chime in.

"I don't know if it's connected, but River mentioned the phrase 'Blue Sun'. She seemed quite upset about it."

General Hammond uncrossed his arms, bracing his hands on the tabletop as he asked "It sounds to me like the girl has come across this Goa'uld under a different guise." He glanced around questioningly. "Any idea where the colour blue comes into the story?"

Jack piped up helpfully "Maybe after a couple of millennia he thought it was time for a make-over!"

Daniel waved a hand in frustration at the interruption. "I've not reached the good part yet!" he objected in an almost petulant whine, propping the large book in front of him and glaring over it to confirm that he had reclaimed their attention.

"In the fourteenth century BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV, the monotheistic worship of Aten was imposed as the state religion over the whole of Egypt. Amenhotep IV was a religious radical. He renamed himself Akhenaten, meaning the Glorious Spirit of Aten, and proclaimed that Aten was not only the supreme deity but actually the _only_ god. Temples of the other gods, especially Ra, were defaced across Egypt and worship of any other religion, including even the private veneration of idols was forbidden, which was a massive departure from previous cultural traditions. He even went so far as to remove all references to 'gods' in the plural from any inscriptions."

Jack gave a long, low whistle. "A religious coup!" he concluded. "I bet that went down well with the other Goa'uld!"

Daniel nodded in agreement with the ironic sentiment. "It wasn't long after the death of Akhenaten that Amun-Ra and the other gods re-established their dominance. All structures dedicated to Aten were torn down and the materials used for building other temples. Akhenaten and his followers were excised from the official lists of Pharoahs." He let the book fall back on the table and snapped it shut with one hand as he concluded "There's little mention of Aten after this point. It's as if someone tried to erase his rule from history. It's not clear what his eventual fate was."

"Selmac might be able to fill in a few gaps for you there." Jacob commented, then straightened as he was inhabited by the alternate persona. Selmac's deep, resonating voice added gravitas to the tale as he took over.

"We have heard of Aten. The impudence of the minor Goa'uld who tried to deny the others their share of the Tau'ri plunder is legendary. As is the revenge that the System Lords took."

Selmac glanced around at his attentive audience. Even Jack O'Neil, who by this point in a briefing was usually bored and fidgeting, was listening in interest. The Tokra continued with a satisfied air.

"Aten was able to overcome the other Goa'uld through superior force of numbers. He had gradually been secreting breeding populations of slaves from opposite sides of the Earth at various planetary bases whose locations were kept a closely guarded secret – known only to his high priests, who were fiercely loyal to him. Even afterwards, when they were tortured to death by Ra, it was never clear whether all these pockets of slaves had been discovered. Aten built up a huge and well equipped army over just a few decades and descended on his brothers in a massacre that spanned the galaxy." The flash of gold light across Selmac's eyes told of his quiet enjoyment of his role as narrator.

"The other System Lords responded by, for the first time in history, banding together to oppose him. Aten was captured and extracted from his host in a long and painful procedure. In his naked, parasitic form he was consigned to rest for all eternity within the stasis of a canopic jar."

Daniel opened his mouth to make a comment but was cut off as Selmac continued, denying any chance at interruption. "However, the Goa'uld had not taken into account the loyalty of Aten's chosen priesthood. A handful of his Jaffa escaped the cull and attempted a rescue mission, led by Aten's most favoured high priestess, Nefertiti."

Daniel drew in a sharp breath at this but it was Jack who spoke up first. "Hey! That's a name I've actually heard of! Isn't there some famous head of her somewhere?"

Daniel nodded slowly, his eyes burning with an almost religious fervour. "Yes. Her bust resides at Berlin's Altes Museum. It's one of history's most recognisable faces. She was Akhenaten's queen and is shown worshipping Aten in many of the images that escaped the anti-Atenist backlash." He leant back in his chair, his face a mask of awed disbelief, and continued in a quiet voice. "When I was young I dreamed of being the one to discover her final resting place. Her remains have never been found, you know."

Selmac cleared Jacob's throat deliberately, a professor calling his students to order. "That is because she did not die on Earth. She and her handful of soldiers achieved the unthinkable. They successully infiltrated deep into the inner sanctum of Ra's stronghold, where Aten's prison was housed, before they were discovered. All her followers were killed but Nefertiti managed to steal the jar and, despite suffering grievous wounds in the ensuing chase, succeeded in escaping with it through the Stargate to an unknown location."

He fell silent and there was a long pause as everyone attempted to process the glut of information. Jack was the first to break it.

"Cool story!" he commented. "You should think about doing film preview voice-overs." He deepened his voice to an exaggerated rasp. "It was a time of gods and heroes!"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, then turned deliberately to face the Tokra. "You believe this Aten has escaped his confinement and is ruling the world that River Tam came from," he concluded. Selmac inclined his head in wordless agreement.

General Hammond frowned thoughtfully. "This certainly puts a different perspective on any mission to return River to where she came from."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't see why. At least this time we've been given a heads up before sticking our asses in the line of fire." He paused as he went over his last sentence in his mind, puzzling over the mixed metaphores. "Is that even physically possible?" He pondered, then waved a hand dismissing the thought, and gave an evil grin. "Ah, you know what I mean! Anyway, I say we should show this uppity snake-head just what SG1 has gotten so good at." The grin remained in place but the eyes he turned on his commanding officer were serious. "Plus we get to return a young girl to the bosom of her family all in one fell swoop. Sometimes I really love my job!" His grin slid into a sly smirk before he adjusted his face into an expression of solemn appeal. "That's not to say I don't think we deserve a pay rise." A tolerant smile twitched the corners of Hammond's lips, but he remained patiently silent, his attention engaged by the slight, eager movement of the blonde scientist across the table.

Sam leaned forward, her wide blue eyes sparkling with a reflected glint of Jack's enthusiasm. "Well, I've got some good news there." She grinned widely, relieved to be able to report her success. "Something River said started me thinking about the gate system in a whole new way. You see, instead of having compartmentalised logic cells, I think the dial home device was designed more along the lines of a human brain where information is stored as associative memory with an almost Gaussian distribution of nodes."

There was a long pause around the large table, which was, rather predictably, broken by Jack O'Neil. "See! I told River you could figure it out!" he commented over-brightly. His grin faltered as uncertainty brushed over his features. "All that stuff did mean you've cracked how to find her home planet, didn't it?"

Sam gave him a reassuring nod. "Yes, sir. I think I can get it to work now."

"Well then!" Each spine around the table stiffened slightly as General Hammond's gruff voice called them to attention. Teal'c, of course, had remained rigid throughout. The General gazed proudly at his front-line team as he laced his thick fingers, trying for a façade of unconcern.

"It seems, SG1, that you have a go!"


	8. Lost

_Disclaimer: See Chapter 1_

_AN/ Thanks so much to my good friends Tom and Little Moppet for spotting all my embarrassing little boobs! Go look up the history that's in here, it's pretty cool (and some of it's even true!). I'd love to know people's interpretations as to what has, is and will be happening here! I might even let you know if you're right!_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

**Lost**

"Janet!"

Sam's voice echoed hoarsely around the eerily silent infirmary. She hesitated at the threshold, her eyes lingering on the small, shrouded shape of River's unconscious body at the far end of the room.

"Dr. Frasier!" she called again in the rasping half-whisper of someone trying to attract attention without making too much noise. Frowning at the lack of response, she stalked quietly into the room, heading for the door of Janet Frasier's cramped adjoining office. She knocked perfunctorily then swung the door open, sticking her head into the room for a quick surveillance. She froze in surprise as she registered that the room was occupied. The doctor sat hunched over her desk. One hand rested heavily on a thick bundle of typed notes, deep creases cutting the rumpled fabric of her lab coat. The other hand propped up her bent head, the fingers buried in her thick brown hair. Long strands had escaped from her neat bun to twine around her wrist or hang limply in front of her down-turned gaze. Sam opened the door a little wider and stepped into the office, calling out again in a gentle voice.

"Earth to Janet!" The dark, tousled head snapped up and deep brown eyes focussed on the blonde woman in surprise.

"Sam! I'm sorry; I must have been miles away." Janet leant back in her chair, washing her hands over her face and pressing weary fingers hard into the corners of her eyes. "What can I do for you?"

Sam hesitated, casting a troubled glance over her weary friend. "Um … I just wanted to check on River's condition. The mission to get her back to her home planet, via P1X-701, is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

Janet blinked owlishly at her for a second before giving a slow smile. "Oh, she's doing just fine. She's sleeping normally now, I only gave her a mild sedative. She calmed down almost as soon as Jacob was out of the room." The doctor's voice sounded stretched and thin, and there was a dull film over her normally vivacious eyes.

"And how about you?" Sam asked in concern. "You look exhausted! Was the autopsy as tough as you expected?"

"What?" Janet gazed blankly at her for a moment before tossing her head as if shaking off a daze. "Oh that! No, we haven't finished that yet. My assistant wasn't feeling too great so I sent him home. We'll get onto it tomorrow."

Sam frowned down at her sternly. "In that case what are you still doing here? It looks like it's you who could benefit from an early night!"

Janet scrunched her nose at her friend in amused derision. "Isn't that usually my line? And how many times do you actually take my advice?" She held up a hand to forestall Sam's protest. "Alright Dr. Carter! I appreciate the diagnosis. I am feeling tired, actually. I'll head home just as soon as I've arranged for someone to come and keep an eye on our patient."

Sam smiled, appeased, but before she could respond a soft moan sliced through the still room beyond, causing both women to start. Sam whirled and wrenched the door wider as she leant out, her body still as she listened. Another choked whimper prompted Janet to drag herself to her feet and follow Sam out into the infirmary.

The two women hovered uncertainly at the foot of River's bed. The young girl's face was flushed and her breath came in rapid, rasping gasps. Her arm lay thin and pale above the thin cover; the bulky patch of the sterile dressing appearing incongruous against her porcelain smooth skin. She made a small gesture, as if warding off spectres, and the arm slid from the bed to dangle limply.

Sam's brow furrowed in sympathy. "Scary nightmares! Should we wake her?"

Janet shook her head as she gently lifted the injured arm and placed it across River's chest. "Let her sleep. They'll pass. Tomorrow you'll take her back to her family. I know that you and Jack will make sure she's safe and happy."

Sam frowned, glancing at the doctor's distracted face. Her voice had held a remote, lilting quality, as if she were telling a story. Sam would dearly like to believe in the happy ending Janet had painted but there was something in the atmosphere of the quiet room that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle uncomfortably. She mumbled an excuse and, with a final uncertain glance at River's face, made her escape.

--O--

The wind whistled forlornly around the barren hillside, moaning as it probed the hollow places of the stone ruins. The leaden sky, heavy with twisted clouds over the jagged points of broken slabs, created a picture of desolate menace that would do credit to any horror movie. The sense of gothic melodrama was heightened by the giant stone circle, carved with arcane symbols, which crowned the hill and framed the darkened sky like a baleful eye.

With a flash of amber light from the faceted crystals set about its rim, the Stargate groaned into life. The clunk of each chevron settling like tumblers in a lock echoed eerily over the barren landscape above the whisper of the wind. The explosive kerwoosh of the quicksilver plume ricocheted from the skeletal buildings before silence fell once more. Low, wide ripples pierced the undulating film as an unwieldy machine emerged to trundle on caterpillar tracks a few meters down the dry grassy bank where it ground to a halt. The MALP sat with machinery strapped on at odd angles, its bulky form looking bizarrely out of place beside the ancient curved lines of the Stargate.

The expectant silence was shattered as four figures burst from the bubble, claiming the open land with confident strides. River followed softly, seeming to barely touch the ground as she slipped away from the group to meander slowly down the hill, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Colonel O'Neill cast an eye over the view laid out in front of him, glancing around uncomfortably for some sign of the shocking struggle that had occurred here just a few days ago.

"Gosh, I'd forgotten how nice this place is." He exclaimed in a wry tone. Leaving no more time for sightseeing, he swung to face his crew. "Let's get this done, people, so we can get out of here. Carter, get started doing whatever it is you have to do to the DHD. Teal'c can help you."

The large warrior arched an eyebrow at his friend, obviously dubious at this idea. O'Neill shrugged at his expression. "Well, at least you can hand stuff to her." Jack's attention shifted to the retreating figure of the distracted young girl. "Come on Danny, let's go and round up River. We don't want to be losing her before we can get her back to the land of the pyramids."

Daniel fell in beside the older man, shooting him a bemused look. "Pyramids?" he queried.

Jack glanced across at him uncertainly. "Well, yeah! Aren't we working on the theory that River's descended from the slaves that Aten grabbed? I was picturing another Little Egypt, like on Abydos."

Daniel shook his head as he walked. "Nothing that Jacob said gives me reason to think that Aten took all of his breeding stock from one place. In fact, since I've heard River speak a variation of Mandarin, I'm thinking at least some of her people were taken from Ancient China."

Jack allowed a wash of scepticism to flood over his face. "Really! 'Cos I can see that she looks very Oriental!"

Daniel scowled, unable to refute the sarcastic logic. "Well, obviously I don't have all the answers yet." He muttered irritably.

"Because you've not been listening! You've not got eyes to hear the truth." Both men pulled up in surprise. As they'd been talking they'd pulled closer to River, and had been unaware of her quiet scrutiny.

"What do you mean, River?" Daniel asked gently.

"I think she was calling you stupid!" Jack supplied helpfully.

Daniel shot him an annoyed glare, then walked softly closer to the enigmatic girl. River was no longer looking at them, but staring mournfully over the tumbled foundations before them.

"They're screaming to be heard. Stolen by chaos and left for the ghosts and the nightmares. Time pressing in. Running to the black. All lost…" her voice trailed off in sad resignation.

The two men exchanged a baffled look. Jack was the first to break the silence. "Okay Daniel, you're the one who's good at riddles. Care to translate?"

Daniel Jackson just shook his head helplessly. He drew breath to ask a question but before he could speak River had suddenly sprung into fluid action. She sprinted the few steps to the bottom of the slope in long rapid strides. She didn't hesitate as she reached the low wall that was all that remained of a narrow building at the foot of the hill. Placing one narrow hand amidst the rubble she vaulted smoothly over into the deep ditch beyond.

Both men started in shock at the unexpected movement then ran forward as one, united in their concern for the young girl.

"River are you okay?" Jackson called out, peering over the waist high barrier. He blinked in surprise at the sight of the headless torso stretched out on the ground beyond. River's slim form was spread face down in the dust. One leg was bent at the knee; the foot, in its thick sock and heavy boot, waving in the air in effort as she stretched. Her head and shoulders were cut off from sight, buried under a large slab of rock which had fallen diagonally across the ditch, leaving a dark recess beneath.

"River! Come out of there! That doesn't look a safe place to be." Jack called out in exasperation.

If she heard him, she didn't respond. She did, however, begin to wriggle out of the hole, inching backwards with small movements of her hips and elbows. She emerged, flushed and streaked with dirt, clutching a skeleton. Her fingers curled almost caressingly around the flaking mottled grey bones of the ribcage.

Jack stared for a moment, then spoke calmly, in a deadpan voice. "Oh look, Daniel! She's brought you a present." Daniel crouched down and leant over the crumbling stones for a better view of the uncovered remains. River beamed proudly at him, then gently pushed the skeleton to one side to dive her head and arms back into the small cave.

"River!" It was Daniel this time who called out in alarm. The two men both held their breath, unsure of what exactly the girl would emerge with next. There was a simultaneous sigh of relief as River shuffled out again, dragging nothing more ominous than a dark, mouldering satchel. She rolled over to sit amidst the rubble, and pulled the ancient bag into her lap. With quick, sharp movements her fingers tore the strap from the corroded buckle. The brittle leather cracked as she levered the flap open to peer inside.

"Oh River, don't!" Daniel called out in anguish at the rough treatment. "That could provide valuable historical data!"

River didn't pause until she had worked loose a blackened lump, the size of a large brick, from its crumbling leather confines.

She paused for a second to stroke this object then looked up at Dr. Jackson with a moue of impatience. "_This _could provide valuable historical data." She flicked herself nimbly to her feet, both hands still clutched around her prize, then abruptly turned and threw it up at the anxious archaeologist.

Daniel was caught off guard and almost fumbled the catch, just managing to scoop the artefact out of the air with one forearm and press it protectively to his chest. Looking down excitedly, he recognised the familiar shape.

"It's a book! And remarkably well preserved." Using one tentative forefinger he eased the front flap ajar to peek underneath, trying to avoid damaging the fragile spine.

Colonel O'Neill stepped forward to peer at the find over his friend's shoulder. Daniel broke off his examination to glance around in annoyance at the looming presence, only to jerk his head back in surprise as he caught sight of a flash of movement below him. River had climbed out of the trench without making the slightest sound and was now sitting cross-legged at his feet.

She peered up at him, her head cocked. "Tell me a story." She demanded in a satisfied voice.

Jack grinned. "Yeah, Danny. Can you put that big brain of yours to use in translating that thing?"

Daniel dragged his eyes from the pale face staring up at him to look back at the book. His eyes widened in astonishment as he looked inside once more. "I don't have to," he breathed. "It's in English."

He cracked the book open a little wider to read the faceplate. "This is dated 1588. It's the journal of Dionyse Harvye, Assistant to the Governor of the Cittie of Ralegh, Roanoke Island."

Jack leaned back, his eyebrows rising almost to his silvered hairline. "Roanoke Island, Virginia? That was the site of the first colonisation attempt of America."

He paused, unsettled by the blank look of astonishment that Daniel levelled at him. He shrugged uncomfortably. "What, I can't know stuff?" The look didn't waver. "Look, I happen to have done a report on early American history when I was back at the Academy, okay? Some of it stuck, especially the stuff about the Lost Colony. I can't resist a good mystery." He gave a malicious grin. "So, you don't know the story, huh?"

It was Daniel's turn to shift in embarrassment. "That period's not really my area of expertise. If you wouldn't mind filling me in…"

Jack hesitated for a long moment but decided not to press this small victory. At least not just yet! "Well, back in the late 1500's a friend of Sir Walter Raleigh got a bunch of people together to try and make a go of settling down in the New World. There'd been a colony built on Roanoke Island a few years earlier but it had been abandoned due to lack of food and frisky natives. The new group weren't doing much better so they sent White back home to England for reinforcements and supplies. Took him three years to get back to the island. He found it deserted, with no bodies or signs of a fight. Nobody's been able to find out what happened to the over 100 colonists left behind."

"Until now." Daniel's attention had been drawn back to the weathered book. "Listen to this!" He began to read, his voice animated with the thrill of discovery.

"_Ambrose Viccars, the most devout in our company, is of the conviction that our present tribulations, and the strange events leading thereto, are retribution from the Almighty as a consequence of some sinful actions. I remain hopeful that God has turned not utterly his countenance from our plight. This new land into which we awoke is much barren, but in several intances about our camp abound remains of once mighty peoples, who would need provision from the land as much as we, although our scouts have found no trace of victual as yet. _

_Margery is lost to a fit of despondence. Despite my best entreaties my good wife did very particularly inform me of her conviction that we have been condemned to Purgatory by the Devil in his own person. She claims to recall vividly the marvellous and most strange translation of our company, which to most is as but a bright dream, and the diminutive demon, impotent in his limbs but with unnatural large eyes, who transported us thither."_

O'Neill cut in with a whoop of surprise. "Whoa! Back up! Doesn't that sound suspiciously like the description of an Asgard? Why would Thor or his people be stealing whole villages of people and bringing them half way across the galaxy?"

Daniel closed the journal and stared off into space, frowning in thought. "It could have been Loki. We know that he's been responsible for centuries of abductions to obtain subjects for his cloning research."

Jack shivered in recollection. "Believe me, I remember! But didn't he usually take individuals, not people en mass?"

Daniel shrugged. "I think it was about 500 years ago that the Asgard became really concerned over the breakdown of their genetic material. He could have been intending to set up some sort of laboratory on a conveniently deserted planet."

Jack quirked an eyebrow. "So why didn't he? Go on Danny, skip to the end and tell us what happened."

Dr. Jackson carefully cracked open the book again and levered over a thickly clumped mess of pages to find another legible passage of the damp, faded script.

"_In efforts ever more desperate to discover living people whom we could have some doings with, either in friendship or otherwise, our party was rent into pairs to search this land. Having travelled but but two hours' journey towards the east, I was resting in the lee of a huge carven circle when the said structure commenced to move and sprang forth with a most violent stream. The spectres that issued from its depths did cause to make my very soul to quake. _

_Ananius Dare, who was also at that time with me, did make ready his musket to fire upon the armoured savages but fell lifeless with a grievous hurt in his breast from a great bolt of light. They paid me little heed but surveyed the lands as returning lords before addressing me thus. I was betook to now serve allegiance to a divinity by the name of Chronos. I was to stand upon as good guard of this place as I could until their return with a great many of men. Having falsely accepted of their charge to deliver presently unto him the remainder of my company they made some motions which caused the river to issue once more, the very hand of God as it seemed, stretched out to take them thence. _

_I took a resolution with myself that the next morning, before the rising of the sun this land would find itself absent of our presence, which at my first motion I found my whole company ready to assent unto. As one mind were we most desirous of any slim chance of escape and, having got their liking and consent thereto, our modest supply of victuals, munition, and clothing was gathered and removed to this place. _

_William Dutton and Thomas Smart even now labour over the workings of the foreign pedestal. My wife despairs of us leaving this place but I am convinced that God is pleased not utterly to suffer us to be lost, and pray my small daughter Verbena will have cause to walk the green grass of England's shores once more."_

Daniel looked up with a small sigh. "That's all there is." He murmured finally. The still silence was broken as River knelt to peer over the low wall.

"You escaped the gods but not gravity." She gravely informed the sad pile of bones.

They held that tableau for a long moment, each lost to their own thoughts, until Carter's eager voice called down to them, breaking them from their reverie.

"Sir! We've got it working!"

Jack clapped a hand to Daniel's shoulder. "Come on. As fascinating as this tale has been, it's got nothing to do with our current mission."

Heated denial flashed across the other man's bright eyes but O'Neill cut off the objection before it could be made. "You can always come back to have another poke around, but do you want to be the one to tell River she has to wait to go home?"

Daniel let out a breath and inclined his head in reluctant assent, but kept the book clutched possessively to his chest as he started up the hill. By the time the three of them reached the top Carter had the Stargate active and was positioning the MALP at its mouth by means of a remote control. At a nod from the Colonel she sent it trundling through. Peering into the small screen of a palm-sized device, she waited for a moment before declaring "The Stargate is situated in a large cave. It seems clear, sir."

O'Neill nodded and ushered his team forward. Turning, he laid a gentle hand on River's back and gave her a nudge toward the gate. She took a last look around the desolate plain before stepping firmly through the mirror bright surface. The ripples of her passing were soon lost in the waves from Jack's larger frame.

As the event horizon collapsed the planet settled back into silence. Little evidence remained of the intrusion of living beings into the ancient place, and once more the wailing wind was the only sound to disturb the dreams of the dead.

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_AN/ Well, what do you think? For those getting impatient for our two groups of heros to meet up, sorry it's taken so long. You can't rush a good confrontation! At least they're on the same planet now!_


	9. Discovered

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

_AN/ This story is going to start to include some mild spoilers for the Big Damn Movie, so if you haven't seen Serenity then you might want to go out and buy that first. Then buy another on June 23rd (it's the official Serenity Day, take a look at http/ Thanks as always to my fabulous beta Little Moppet, whose story 'The Promise' is completely brilliant! Also thanks for those who pointed out errors which, hopefully, have now been corrected._

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**Chapter 9**

**Discovered**

Jack nearly collided with his team as he stumbled down the rough-hewn ramp from the closing Stargate. They huddled in a tight, uncomfortable group around the MALP and the DHD. Glancing around the dimly lit cavern he couldn't help hunching his own shoulders. The space wasn't really that cramped; the barrel vaulted ceiling arched in ragged peaks a full six-foot above the pinnacle of the giant stone ring. The feeling of claustrophobia was inspired by the twisting columns of long-desiccated stalactites that partitioned the space into dark, flickering alcoves. The gnarled almost-faces of stone bosses peered down malevolently from odd angles. Jack had to resist the urge to keep checking over his shoulder for a looming presence.

"Aren't Stargates usually out in nice open places?" he asked uncomfortably.

"Well, it would make sense to put it somewhere hidden and defensible if this is where Aten brought through his secret supply of slaves." Daniel threw back over his shoulder absently. His attention was focussed on the far wall of the cave. He paced forward over the smooth, almost organic texture of the floor with a confident stride that showed he was quite at home in this dingy grotto.

"Look at this!" He called excitedly, hunkering down and running his long fingers through the dust. "These are old animal bones, and see here! The stone's still blackened with soot from a fire!"

Jack shook his head over his friend's excitement and stalked away towards the shaft of light that tumbled into the gloom over a cascade of broken boulders at the cavern's mouth. Peering up at the patch of bright sky framed by the ragged, shoulder-high entrance, Jack felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickling again. Giving in to the creeps this time he flicked a quick glance behind him and almost jumped out of his skin to find River's pale face a hand's breadth from his own.

"Jesus! Don't creep up on a guy like that!" He barked in a slightly high-pitched voice.

Her unfocused gaze didn't seem to register his presence, travelling beyond his face out to the stretch of cerulean blue. "It was taken for a dead man's daughter. Conquerors and conquered each to their nature." River's voice had been vague and quiet, as if talking only to herself. Now her gaze sharpened and she turned her face to pin O'Neill with her penetrating stare. "Memes and genes flying out to the black on stolen wings. Spreading in waves. A fresh breeze through overripe wheat."

Her tone was urgent and insistent, but Jack could only shrug in helpless bewilderment. He had to look away from those dark eyes, swimming with disappointed frustration, to search out his more academically minded friend. Dr. Jackson had abandoned his investigations at River's first words and had come to stand a short way behind them.

"Daniel, please tell me you can make sense of some of that." Jack entreated.

The archaeologist shook his head ruefully. "I wouldn't even know where to start!" he replied apologetically.

River spun lightly on the ball of one foot, her skirts rippling like a hot road on a summer's day as she drifted towards him. "Every story has a beginning" she called in a singsong voice as if repeating something learned by rote, small bobs of her head punctuating the rhythm of the words. Her dark eyes snapped up to bore into Jackson's startled blue ones.

"Um," he floundered uncertainly. "Where is …" He choked off in surprise as River reached up to press light fingertips over his lips.

"Shhh!" she murmured. "You have to close your eyes so you can hear them." Her own eyelids flickered shut and her tapered fingers trailed away from his mouth. They fluttered through the air on outstretched arms as she strode with quick, sure steps to the wall of the cavern. She skimmed her hands over the milky stone surface, her cheek pressed close enough to feel the chill emanating from it as she flowed along the wall. All four members of the team craned to follow her progress as she ducked behind a frozen waterfall of stalactites. Jack and Daniel exchanged a look loaded with exasperation before rushing forward to squeeze through the stone teeth of the flowstone.

They found her kneeling next to a tumble of rocks, leaning her body over close to the wall above it, her nose almost brushing the smooth surface. She blew out a breath through pursed lips then turned her head to them, only opening her eyes when she was in a position to make direct eye contact with Dr. Jackson.

"X marks the spot." She told him, then scuttled backwards on her heels and the palms of her hands and gestured with a nod of her head for him to take her place.

Daniel hesitated, then, as an oddly angled shadow caught his peripheral vision, he dropped heavily to his knees in front of the wall. He brushed some of the chalk-like dust away with one fingertip, squinting over the top of his glasses. "There's something carved here," he called out excitedly. "I think it's a Maltese cross. There are some letters." He wet his finger with the tip of his tongue and continued rubbing. "R…. I…. P"

River leant forward, her hair brushing past Daniel's startled face, and reached into the rock pile with one slim hand to tug a small object free from the rubble. It tumbled from her fingers to swing like a hypnotist's watch from a thick chain. Daniel froze, his eyes fixed on the pendant like a cat watching a mouse. The chain passed though a thin semi–circle of discoloured copper, the raised shape of an ankh just visible through the rough verdigris. Thin spokes dangled down from this crescent, each tipped by a stylised cupped hand. The gap where one had been lost brought a dissonant note to the faint muffled chiming.

"That's the symbol of Aten!" Daniel breathed in awed disbelief. He reached forward a hand, almost reverently. "May I?" he entreated softly. River surrendered the necklace with an absent flick of her wrist, instead leaning forward to place a hand lightly on the cairn of stones.

"Sad little queen." She crooned softly to the burial mound. "Ran so far, but not far enough." She stroked the stones from which she had pulled the chain. "Even your bones commanded respect. They didn't steal from _you_." Suddenly she snatched her hand back, scrubbing it against her skirt as if she'd touched something unclean. She continued in a low moan of distress. "Except your prize. Your love. Your divinity." She scooted back a few inches till her back was pressed against the cold stone of a stalagmite, and pulled her knees to her chest. "Pandora's box, a fragile seal of superstition."

She fell silent and Daniel glanced up to the Colonel, who was staring down at them, an unreadable expression on his face. "Jack!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I think that she might actually have found Nefertiti's grave!"

Jack's eyes never strayed from the huddled young girl. "Yeah, I kinda gathered that. Plus that whoever buried her made off with our jar of pickled snake." Uncertainty flickered over his shadowed features and he glanced back at his kneeling friend. "How much of what she says should we be taking as fact?" he asked doubtfully.

Daniel gave a half shrug. "I know that deciphering a psychic's visions seems a little out there, but you've got to admit she's not been wrong yet."

Whatever response O'Neill might have made was curtailed as Sam's head poked though into the alcove from between two thin colomns. "Sir!" she called softly. "You'd better see this. Teal'c's spotted something."

--O--

The five figures perched precariously on the narrow shelf outside the mouth of the cave. O'Neill and Carter had immediately donned their sunglasses on emerging into the baking glare. Teal'c made do with one large hand raised to shield his eyes as he gazed out over the olive-brown landscape. A dark smear in the haze of the plain was the only sign of human habitation. A thin line of black smoke snaked its way from it into the blue of the sky. Jack took a breath but his comment went unsaid as a choked sob from beside him cut off his train of thought.

Sam put a hand on River's shoulder in concern as the young girl's face crumpled in unhappiness. "River, what's the matter?" she asked solicitously.

River pressed her hands to the sides of her head and stared up into the dazzling blue to the point where the dark column dissolved into the brightness. "Poor little souls. Their screams almost human!" she moaned, sounding almost in pain. Carter looked on in helpless distress that switched to bafflement as, in a quicksilver change of mood, River's face brightened suddenly with a happy smile. "Simon!" she called out in pleasure. In a swift movement that took them all by surprise she darted forward to the edge of the ledge and, with a small leap, plunged from view.

"River!" Sam called in anguish, dashing forward to join her C.O. as he peered out over the drop. She watched in relief as River sprang nimbly through a break-neck maze of tilted slabs and sharp ravines.

Jack called out from beside her. "River, be careful! Wait for us!" He turned in frustration to the capable Jaffa. "Teal'c, go after her. Try to keep her from killing herself."

Teal'c gave a single nod. Without a word he stepped forward to slide down the steep slope, leaping clear onto a boulder in a shower of gravel, his massive form as agile as a mountain goat. It took the other three nearly an hour to descend the cliff as Jack insisted they be roped together for safety. This precaution proved vital the first time Daniel, distracted by the remains of stone steps carved into the crumbling rock, slipped on a slanted slab and would have slid into a deep crevasse had he not been checked by the strong cord around his waist. They met up at the base of the rock-face, where Teal'c was patiently restraining a jittery River.

It took a further hour to cross the baking heat of the open scrubland. They walked in silence, each lost to their own thoughts which grew steadily more apprehensive as the low squat shape of the town drew ever closer. When they had covered all but a few hundred meters of the distance, their course intersected with a dirt path heavily rutted by narrow wheels and animal tracks that meandered its way towards the settlement.

O'Neill took point, trusting his team to keep a vigilant eye on his six, and took a firmer grip on his weapon as he stalked forward. They were skirting the edge of the town, keeping to the shadows of the thick wooden posts of the palisade fence that towered eight feet high around the perimeter of the community. As they rounded a curve a waist high post and rail fence that had been smashed in several places came into view. It had separated off a large paddock, jutting out from the city wall, but now housed only the collapsed ashes of a massive bonfire that still dribbled a feeble trail of dense black smoke from the buried embers.

O'Neill approached cautiously, carefully navigating past the brutally amputated fence posts. There were unpleasantly organic curves visible within the charred timbers. The obsidian gleam of seared teeth shone through the pale ash like black pearls and at several points thin legs stood out from the fire, smouldering flagpoles tipped by neat little hooves. The air stank of burnt flesh and rendered fat. Jack made the mistake of taking shallow breaths through his mouth and nearly gagged as the oily smoke coated the back of his throat.

"What the hell is this?" he asked tensely as he nudged a large curved horn that had tumbled free from the fire. "The world's worst barbeque?"

River stepped forward, closely shadowed by Teal'c who watched as she pivoted at the waist to reach down into a burnt out section of the fire. She pulled a calf's skull from the ashes and, cradled it in her cupped hands, gazed sadly into the staring eye sockets.

"Not food." She said quietly in a dead voice. "It's an instrument. Music whilst they ate."

Jack gaped at her, not wanting to think about this, and was glad to be distracted by the sound of Daniel shouting his name. Jackson and Carter had bypassed the enclosure and were standing beneath a wide opening in the fence, flanked by large gates that were flung open in welcome to the silent city.

"Look at the name of this place, Jack!" Daniel exclaimed as he drew close, pointing to the wooden lintel above the gate. The heavy oak had letters deeply branded into it, searing out the name Verbena Town. Below this, in neatly drawn calk had been written 'Pop. 1,392'.

"Remember the journal?" Daniel asked insistently. He glanced behind Jack to where Teal'c was urging River forward to join them with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "This must be where the Roanoke colony escaped to. To this settlement, 'taken for a dead man's daughter'!" He gave a significant jerk of his head towards where River stood, quiet and withdrawn.

"Oh come on!" Jack scoffed in surprised disbelief. "Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that out of all possible Stargate addresses we just happen to find the one they stumbled onto?"

Daniel shook his head with a superior smirk. "Ah, but we didn't find it, River did. We don't know the limits of her abilities. It's possible that she had some sort of vision that enabled her to retrace the path the colonists took."

Jack's mouth quirked dubiously as he considered this. Carter took a few steps towards them, obviously coming to ask what they were talking about, but was interrupted by River. She had broken from her silent contemplation with a frustrated cry of "You're all so slow!" Now she spun around to grab Teal'c hand and tried to pull his heavy form towards the gates. Exchanging an amused glance the others fell cautiously in behind her as she led them into the hush of the town.

--O--

Janet sat in her office, her head pillowed on her arm once more. She had been intending to take Sam's advice and head home as soon as everyone had left that morning, relieving her of her charge in a flurry of activity. She'd made the mistake of stopping for a moment, just to catch her breath.

That had been two hours ago, and she hadn't moved since. There'd been a voice calling for her a while ago, she recalled vaguely. She thought it had belonged to Airman Groves, although fear and distress had thickly twisted it. She tried to remember whether she had managed to rouse herself long enough to respond, but the answer hardly seemed to matter much. It had stopped eventually anyway, with only a few odd groans and pants to disturb her solitude.

Her thoughts centred now on her breathing. Her whole being concentrated on expanding her lungs against the tight band across her chest, again and again. She was dimly aware that this wasn't something she used to have to think about. Now it felt that if her attention drifted from the task the heaviness suffusing her limbs would spread to her core and she would fossilise completely.

Another voice drifted from the still room beyond her open door; the tone first hesitant, then spiking in concern. The words sounded foreign in her ears, their meaning lost in a fog of apathy. The soothing croon washed over her even when it broke in a wave of panic. The first shrill shout pierced the warm blanket that wrapped around her mind like a needle of ice, and she longed to lift her hands to cover her ears. Her left finger twitched an infinitesimal amount then fell still. Her veins had filled with lead, the muscles solidifying into unyielding lumps. Her head was weighted to the table with heavy chains.

She gave up the effort and lay quietly, listening to the crescendo of screams punctuated by soft, wet tearing and the odd gristly crack. A bright spurt flashed out from the room beyond to splatter high up on the open door. The stain condensed into a dark, viscous nucleus and Janet's eyes followed its crawling path down the white paint of her door as the cacophony slowly died away.

There was a pause, broken only by a bubbling wheeze that settled from high-pitched, ragged gasps into a pattern of long, deliberate inhalations that sucked in the taste of the air. Janet watched through the blur of slitted eyelids as a slanting shadow fell across the threshold. She dimly heard the breathing draw closer but didn't resist as the bars of her eyelashes finally dragged closed, enclosing her in a womb of darkness. Her mind floated, disconnected from the moment. She was only dimly aware of the sensation of warm drops splashing on her upturned cheek. The sharp treble tang of them was her last perception as everything else dissolved around her.

--O--

"Ah, hell!" O'Neill swore under his breath as he caught the all too familiar aroma of blood and decomposing flesh.

"It was." River muttered in a small voice. Her body trembled with shivers and she pressed in close to Teal'c's side, as if to draw strength from his body heat. Jack looked away from the pair, returning to his careful surveillance of potential threats.

At first glance the town looked like any other. Or, at any rate, any other freakily deserted ghost town. But there was a pervading sense of wrongness to the scene, the feeling of unease before the nightmare pounces. The first thing out of place that Jack noticed was a smeared handprint at shoulder height, stark against the bright white-stucco of the single story home. Four lines scraped down in a ragged ochre arch, which ended above the stained and shredded remnants of a thin cotton dress, once a pretty floral blue. More clues began to leap out under Jack's grim scrutiny. Small things, such as the smashed face of a china doll and an overturned basket, that seemed more frightening in their isolation than a charnel house of bodies.

Carter touched light fingers to O'Neill's elbow and pointed in wordless horror at the small pond that stretched in front of a large communal building. Jack followed the line of her gaze to see a child's hand bobbing gently on a cushion of weeds, bathed in a gruel of mud and blood. The pale, puffy fingers curled upwards, beckoning them closer as if to impart a secret. Carter jumped as a frog let loose a cackling chuckle, a macabre comment on the little scene.

Jack looked away in disgust, his eyes drawn to the movement of a cloud of flies in the shadows cast by a low building. A few steps brought him close enough to distinguish the shape of a ravaged human torso. The partially exposed bones of the ribcage clawed the air in a grisly skeletal grasp.

Jack swallowed down a surge of bile, turning deliberately from the sight as he flashed out a rapid series of hand gestures that called his team away from their revulsion back into professional alertness. As Carter and Jackson spread out on his flanks, holding their guns cocked at shoulder height, O'Neill locked his gaze with Teal'c's steady brown eyes. Jack pointed at the ground beneath his feet and nodded to the young girl Teal'c cradled protectively against his side. The Colonel's eyes spoke volumes of his desperate desire to save her from exposure to more of this horror. Teal'c inclined his head in a short nod as Jack spun to lead the others further into the town.

They covered the ground in a series of staggered, crouching runs that took them from one patch of cover to the next. Jack felt a flash of pride at how efficient a force his team had become. The first time he had met Jackson he'd been afraid to issue him with a gun for fear that the absentminded doctor would shoot himself in the foot. Now Daniel handled his sidearm like a professional and moved silently, falling back in his turn to cover Jack and Sam, a critical player in the complex ballet of their advance.

Suddenly Jack held up a hand and they each dropped to the earth, listening for a sound above the soft sigh of the wind in the dust and the raucous cawing of carrion birds. There! Jack caught it again. The soft, calm sound of voices from behind a long low building that resembled an old style saloon. He gestured to his team to stay put whilst he investigated. Slinging his P90 over his shoulder to rest across his back, he instead pulled out the zat gun that had been tucked in the waistband of his fatigues. The alien weapon was more versatile in that it could either stun, kill or destroy a target. O'Neill liked to keep his options open when meeting new people. He crept forward silently, pressing close to the side of the shuttered building. At the far corner he paused, then peered out cautiously to glimpse the scene beyond.

The first thing that caught his attention was the spacecraft squatting on clawed feet at the far side of a dusty square. The thing looked to be significantly larger than a Goa'uld cargo ship, but was of no design that O'Neill had even seen before. It looked kind of like a water bird, with a long neck and curved beak, managing to somehow look both graceful and clunky at the same time. Jack went on to assess the four people at the centre of the square. A solemn black man was the one speaking, so quietly that Jack couldn't make out the words. He stood over what appeared to be a mass grave, his grey head bowed over a thick scruffy book. Two other men were lugging between then a low-slung, shrouded shape which they swung over to join the others in the deep pit. The larger of the two, almost Teal'c's match in size and build, scrubbed his hands on his clothing in a nervous gesture, looking around him twitchily. The smaller, lighter haired man stool silent for a moment, his sombre stance at odds with the loudness of his shirt, which was even worse than one of Teal'c's under-cover specials. The fourth man stood stiff and vacant off to one side, his well cut clothes hanging crumpled and askew on his slim frame.

O'Neill carefully shrugged off his pack and glanced down, looking for his binoculars to get a better view, but froze as a voice spoke up from beside his left ear in a soft but deadly drawl.

"You might want to be droppin' that _qí pì gu_ weapon right about now. 'Less you got a secret hankerin' to sing soprano."

Jack looked up very slowly to take in the sight of a hard faced man dressed in shades of brown holding a mean looking gun in a loose, but unwavering, waist-high grip. Damn! How the hell had he managed to creep up on him? Jack hesitated; wondering whether he could get a shot off with the zat before the man could fire.

His racing thoughts froze at the sensation of what felt suspiciously like the cold barrel of a shotgun nestling into the nape of his neck. His spine turned to a river of ice at the small sound of a trigger being cocked.

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_Chinese Phrase:_

_Qí pì gu – weird-ass_

_AN/ Reviews are, as always, received with a rendition of Joss's 'Dance of Joy'! If anyone is still confused about what's going on I'm hoping that the next chapter will clear up most points. Plus, sincere apologies to my friend Tom Groves for stealing his surname and abusing it so awfully! _


	10. Encounter

_Disclaimer: See chapter 1_

_AN/ Finally another chapter up! Sorry for the wait! This chapter should clear up what's been going on in my head. Hopefully people will like it. If not, let me know what strikes a false note. Still, it's only a bit of fun and I hope people won't be too upset with me messing with verse cannon just a bit! Updated now thanks to my beta Little Moppet and a very useful comment from Grace Macy that reminded me that I had forgotten about poor Wash. Here's the new version with all Wash scenes fully restored and digitally enhanced._

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**Chapter 10**

**Encounter**

Mal released a silent breath of relief as the tall man dressed in dappled green relaxed in submission, letting the odd z-shaped weapon in his hand drop into the dirt. Then his muscles tensed again as his eyes locked with Zoë's past the guy's greying temple. Her dark face was even graver than usual, the soft curves cut with deep grooves and her full lips flattened into a tight line.

She jerked her head towards the buildings behind her. "There are two more hidin' back there, sir", she told him quietly.

Mal scanned the dusty buildings but could see nothing. He brought his gun up to a more prominent position to hold it at shoulder height, the barrel mere inches from his prisoner's forehead. "If either of you care more'n a shiny penny for this fella's hide you'll be wanting to come out nice an' slow!" he called out roughly.

He was gratified to see two figures emerge slowly from the shadows, a compact blonde woman and a spectacled guy in a wide-brimmed floppy hat, their guns held high in a non-threatening position. They threw the weapons towards Zoë at the eloquent jerk of the muzzle of her Mare's leg carbine. In a somewhat dangerous move, considering the circumstances, the one in the silly hat took a step towards them, hands held palm out.

"We really don't mean you any harm." He spoke out in an earnest voice. Mal didn't blame him for looking a touch taken aback when Zoë responded to this speech with an impatient shushing motion. Then Mal also caught the rapid tattoo of running footsteps and held himself in tense readiness.

The sight of River tearing across the ground toward him, her long hair streaming behind her, had him frozen to the spot and doubting his sanity. She passed by him like a breath of wind and flung herself at the vacant doctor. Mal watched the play of emotions wash over the boy's normally expressionless face. Shock seemed to win out, causing his legs to buckle beneath him in a near faint, pulling River down with him in a tangle of limbs.

There was a long wordless moment as everyone in the clearing stared at the two kneeling people. Wash broke the breathless silence as he spoke up in a slightly unsteady voice. "You all can see her too, right? Or have I finally lost what's left of my mind?"

Simon didn't seem to register him. He was was pressing the slim body of his sister so hard against his own that it was almost as if he was trying to fuse them into one being. River put up with this for a while then pulled back a few inches to look into Simon's tight, bloodless face.

"Strength killed the Reaver, and there were strawberries and jelly and I wore a paper dress and was turned into energy and danced in the vortex," she told him with an excited smile.

Simon just let the happy babble of her voice wash over him, reaching up with one hand to touch her cheek in wonderment. "River!" he whispered with a choked breath.

Not the most original of greetings, Mal thought, but he could forgive the boy's lack of eloquence given the circumstances. Truth be told he was feeling a mite flabbergasted his own self.

Before a word more could be spoken, there was a rather heavier pounding of feet that had Mal and Zoë tightening their grips on their weapons. Jayne also come forward to join the party, having pulled a bulky pistol from who knows where. As the newcomer rounded the curve of a building, the sight of these three gun-barrels levelled at him and his companions caused him to pull up short. Mal stared at the black guy, taking in the muscles the size of watermelons and the strange bumpy circle branded on his forehead.

Mal was about to offer a challenge to the rather imposing man, but River interrupted by struggling free from Simon's grasp to run forward and grab the big guy's hand, pulling him forward into the clearing. "This is Teal'c," she informed Simon, adding firmly to the rest of them "He's nice. Restful."

The tall guy with the salt and pepper haircut gave a snort. "Hey, River! Couldn't you vouch for us too?" he called out in an amused voice.

Before anyone could respond there was a flash of movement from inside Serenity's cargo hold and, with a squeal so high-pitched that it would cause a bat to wince, Kaylee came flying down the ramp. She swept River into a bone-cracking hug, happy tears leaking over her flushed cheeks. River tolerated the enthusiastic embrace with a small, bemused smile.

Mal just had to comment. "Kaylee, didn't we discuss how you were gonna stay on the gorram ship?"

His frustration mounted as she just turned overlarge, moist eyes on him and spoke past a quivering lip. "But Cap'n! It's River!" she said breathlessly, as if this was all that needed to be said on the matter of disregarding orders.

Simon reached forward to reclaim his sister, pulling her close to him and finally breaking the grip which she had maintained on the big man's hand. He composed his face into its usual formal mask as he spoke up in a polite, even voice. "I don't know how I can begin to thank you for returning my sister to me."

Once again it was the older man who spoke up in a good-natured tone. "Well, not holding us at gun-point would be a good start."

Mal frowned, neither his nor Zoë's gun wavering an inch. "Well, let's not rush into anythin' now," he drawled with some amusement, despite the tense situation. "It's true that we're all manner of grateful for the safe return of our little lost lamb. Still, me and mine have a deep and abidin' distrust of strangers in uniforms."

The younger man in glasses tried another disarming smile. "Well, as you can see we're not strangers to River. My name's Daniel Jackson. The person whose head you're pressing the gun to is Colonel Jack O'Neill. This is Major Samantha Carter and River's already introduced Teal'c."

The well-muscled fellow inclined his shaven head in grave acknowledgement. Mal caught the slight frown that flashed over Simon's face and couldn't blame the boy for the touch of jealousy. It wasn't often that River took to someone that much, let alone showed outright affection.

Kaylee turned to face the group, a bright smile on her face. "Well, it's sure nice to meet y'all. Can I get you a drink? I've got some homemade lemonade in the galley. Well, it's not actually made from lemons but the acetic acid's got almost the same bite to it if you don't think too hard..."

"Kaylee!" Mal bit off in exasperation. "We ain't done holdin' these folks hostage yet! I ain't in the habit of offerin' tea and dumplings to people I'm holdin' a weapon on."

She grinned at him, completely unrepentant. "Don't worry Cap'n, I'll bring you a glass too. Aft'rall, ya only need one hand to point a gun at these nice folks."

Mal scowled at her fiercely, trying to regain some of the threatening tension that his irritating mechanic was so cheerfully destroying. His scowl deepened as the Colonel spoke up helpfully. "You know, I could really go for a glass of lemonade about now."

Yep, clearly unintimidated. Mal's pistol sagged a little in resignation then snapped up again as O'Neill slowly shrugged his pack from his shoulders andcarefully lowered it to the ground.

"Actually, I've got some provisions I could add to the picnic if you're interested." Maintaining eye contact with Mal, the guy reached into the sack and pulled out a plastic coated bar, tossing it towards Kaylee with a grin.

"Ohmygod! Is this chocolate? Real chocolate?" she squealed in delight, ripping open the wrappings and taking a large bite before Mal could say a word in protest. Her eyes rolled back in her head and an expression of almost indecent bliss flushed over her features. She let out a low, satisfied moan that caused some to shift uncomfortably. Her tongue flicked out to slide softly over her lower lip, lapping at a crumb of fallen chocolate. All eyes were on her, some fascinated and some, like Mal, a touch discomforted by the blatant sensuality.

Typically it was Jayne who broke the silence with a lavicious smirk. "Hell, Kaylee! If ya wanna be alone with the chocolate ya can take my bunk!" Ever one to push an innuendo that bit too far he added "If yer good I might even join ya.'"

Kaylee's eyes shot open and a flush crept over her cheeks. Wash rolled his eyes. "And he wonders why he has to pay for dates!" he muttered in acerbic amusement.

Mal shot Jayne a stern look but, despite Kaylee's obvious embarrassment, couldn't help teasing her a bit himself. "Li'l girl, didn't your parents teach ya not to take candy from strange men?" he drawled.

"Hey! I'm not that strange!" O'Neill spoke up in mock indignation, clearly enjoying the whole situation a tad too much.

Kaylee drew the tattered shreds of her dignity around her, chin held high as she zipped the rest of the bar into a thigh pocket in a possessive gesture. "'Course he isn't, Cap'n. He's a sweetie-pie!" She gave Mal a haughty look. "He brought me chocolate." She added in a definite voice, as if this settled matters.

Mal gave into the inevitable and let the barrel of his gun sink down to point at the ground. "Fine!" he grumbled. "But if they end up shootin' you ta death don't come cryin' ta me."

Jayne looked askance at him. "Well, I ain't gonna start trusting any gorram _yáng__yāo_'less I find out what they want and where 'xactly they sprang from in a planet that's s'posed to be full of nothin' but ghosts."

Mal looked enquiringly at the group, also interested in the answers to these questions. The first voice to pipe up in response, though, didn't belong to any of the strangers but to little River.

"They came from Earth-that-is." A puzzled silence followed her calm announcement.

Simon bent his head close to his sister's with a perplexed frown. "_Mei-mei_, that's not possible. Earth-that-_was_ is gone. It was destroyed a long while ago." He spoke in a soft voice, as if afraid of upsetting her, but looked up, startled, at O'Neill's snort of laughter.

"Well, there are about six billion people back home that that might come as a bit of a shock to," the Colonel commented with a broad grin.

"Show him the book." River directed the pre-emptory order at Jackson, who blinked at her in surprise but reached obediently for his pack.

"What, you mean the journal?" he asked, pulling out an old discoloured leather-bound volume with careful hands. "You think they'd know something about this?"

Mal wasn't surprised that it was Book who was the first to move forward in interest. The Shepherd was probably the only one except Simon who'd ever actually handled a luxury object like a real old paper book. He took the journal gently from Jackson, splitting it open a crack to peer inside.

Jackson hovered over him like a broody hen. "We think this is the history of some of the people that colonised this planet. They were pioneers, taken from Earth over four hundred years ago," he commented, leaning over Book's shoulder as the preacher read.

Book's eyes widened at something on the page in front of him, then gazed off into space, thoughtfully. "You know," he said in his rich, gravely voice, "if this is even half true it might explain a few questions that have always bothered me."

Mal couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Shepherd, you ain't buyin' inta this _fèi__huà_?" he demanded incredulously. "Every kid knows that we left the old homestead in ships half a millennium back 'cos it got all used up."

Book fixed him with a penetrating stare. "That's what we all know because that's what we've all been taught. You should know better than anyone that half of writing history is hiding the truth. Is it such a stretch to believe that our past isn't quite what we thought it was?"

Mal gaped at him in wordless bewilderment but Book pushed on, as if he'd experienced some sort of epiphany. "If we were taken from Earth-that-was instead of leaving by choice it would explain why no-one has any record of its location. Considering how valuable and scarce old artefacts are, you'd think someone would have tried going back to see what was left, if the where of it was known."

Mal let a humouring smile creep over his face as he asked "Okay, so if we were taken who d'ya reckon did the takin'?"

O'Neill, who had been listening with interest to this debate, cut in at this point, seeming glad to be able to contribute. "Ah, now that would be where the aliens come into it," he supplied helpfully.

Jayne threw up his hands in exasperation at this, causing Wash to flinch as the heavy gun that Jayne still had his clutched in one of them passed through firing range of his head. "I ain't stayin' here to listen to this _fēng __diān __hú __shuō_." Jayne bellowed, then turned and stomped up the ramp into the ship.

Mal watched him go then looked back at O'Neill with raised eyebrows. "Hard as it is ta believe, Jayne does have a point. Only a _sha gua_ believes in aliens. Rest of us just accept that we're alone out here in the black."

O'Neill just grinned. "Riiight!" he drawled with heavy sarcasm. "'Cos the galaxy's such a small place and you've explored every part of it!"

Before Mal could come up with a response to that the younger man, Jackson, chimed in. "Actually, although this might be hard to accept, the divinity you worship is actually an alien parasite inside the body of a man."

Mal stared at him for a long second before bursting out in a deep belly laugh. Book shot him a disapproving look before his own face gave in and cracked into an amused grin. "Son, being a preacher I thought I'd heard everything, but you've surely got the strangest line in blasphemy!"

The largest one, Teal'c, rumbled into life at this, a heavy scowl lining his face. "It is true. Aten is a false god, as are all of the Goa'uld."

Again there was a long silence, broken only by the sighing wind. Mal shook his head, totally confused as he asked in a lost voice "The what an' the who, now?"

--O--

At the slightly queasy suggestion of the guy in the awful shirt, Jack and his team had been allowed to move away from the mass grave to the far side of the space ship. Jack had had to give Carter a firm look to prevent her from darting over to inspect the exterior engines of the unusual vessel. Now most of the group had taken a seat on the ground whilst they tried to sort things out.

It had taken a while to explain their theory of how this planet had been populated by slaves from the Orient 3000 years ago, then topped up by a group of settlers more recently. The story hadn't been well received. Reactions had ranged from dubious sympathy from the pretty young girl to a scornful outburst in Chinese from the Captain that had had Daniel wincing and the rest of SG1 frowning in puzzlement.

The conversation got a bit sidetracked when the Shepherd informed them that none of the ship's crew was actually from this planet.

Jack frowned in confusion "Then where exactly do you come from?" he asked.

The other man gave a shrug. "Oh, various places."

Carter leaned forward in interest. "Does your ship have a faster than light drive?" she asked eagerly. "How many planets are you able to reach?"

It was the young girl in the overalls that answered Carter's question. "'Course Serenity can't go fast'r'n light speed. That'd be impossible! But she does real good getting' us around the half dozen central planets and nigh on seventy border worlds."

Carter blinked, as confused as if the whole explanation had been in Chinese. "But.. it would be astronomically impossible for there to be that many inhabitable planets in one solar system."

The other girl's brow wrinkled as she gazed at Carter's face, as if checking that she wasn't being wound up by some elaborate practical joke. "No," she explained patiently "they ain't all planets round one sun. There're a coupl'a stars in this cluster and most folks live on moons that've been terraformed."

Carter's eyes lit up like a kid who's just heard Santa was coming. "That's amazing! How does that work? What does the process involve?"

Against everyone's expectations it was Teal'c who responded first. "Several of the Goa'uld system lords do possess terraforming technology," he commented in his deep rasp.

The brown-coated Captain had remained standing off to one side, his beautiful but forbidding second-in-command hovering at his shoulder like a shadow. At Teal'c's words he threw up his hands in exaggerated impatience. "An' now you're back ta the talk of aliens! This is a joke that is rapidly ceasing to be funny."

The fair-haired man who Jack had so far not caught the name of gave a broad grin from where he was lounging in the dust. "Oh, I don't know." he commented brightly. "I'm feeling pretty entertained."

Jack had a sudden brainwave. "Teal'c, would you mind showing them where you used to stash Junior?"

Teal'c inclined his head in grave assent and wordlessly began to unbutton the top of his fatigues. There was a moment of stunned silence at the unveiling of the deep diagonal gashes that formed the flaps of a pouch in the taut muscles of his stomach. The Captain exchanged a long look with his shadow before stalking forward in disbelief. River's brother also got to his feet to come forward for a better view.

"That's not … What is that?" Simon asked in fascination, leaning in for a closer look, one hand half raised towards Teal'c's abdomen.

"Oh Doc!" The Captain spat out in disgust. "You ain't gonna be puttin' your hand in there are ya? 'Cos that's all manner of unhygienic!"

The doctor shot him an annoyed look before switching his gaze back to the opening. "How was this done?" he breathed in amazement. "And why?" he asked in puzzlement, glancing up at Teal'c's face.

Teal'c snapped his shirt shut, doing up the buttons as he stared stoically ahead. "It is done to every Jaffa when they come of age so that they may carry inside of them the larval form of the Goa'uld. By this means are we kept enslaved to the false gods."

Jack was watching the baffled expression on the young doctor's face closely. "But you've never heard of a Jaffa, right?" he asked thoughtfully.

"That would make sense, sir." Carter cut in with her usual level of intensity. "If this group of worlds has been cut off from the rest of the Goa'uld for 3000 years the Jaffa would have died out long ago." She paused for a moment, the whirring of her mental gears almost audible. "Aten would have been completely cut off here. If it took a while for someone to open the canopic jar he was trapped in, he might have woken to a totally unfamiliar situation."

Her eyes sparkled as she ran over the scenario in her mind. "Think about it, sir. Exiled to a society that had advanced with the technology he had abandoned them with but without any Goa'uld rule to keep them servile. He would have no Jaffa soldiers or futuristic devices to establish his credentials as a god. It could be that that's why these people are not directly aware of his existence. He would have had to maintain a low profile and manipulate things from behind the scenes."

O'Neill looked at her sceptically. "Nice story but what makes you think he would put up with that when he could escape through the Stargate to somewhere he could go back to being top of the heap?"

It was Teal'c who answered the question, obviously taken with the picture Sam was painting. "It is possible that he would not know the exact location in an ever changing planetary system. Such details are the concern of a First Prime not of a god."

River's quiet voice broke into the private bubble of their thoughts. "He searched first with civics, then with fire," she told their blank faces.

Jack took a breath, even though he wasn't sure what he was going to ask, but was cut short by a loud beep from his wrist.

"Well, folks, as fascinating as this all is, and as much as I'd love to get to know River's gun-toting friends some more, it's time for us to head back to the SGC." Jack announced, then waited for the inevitable discontent.

As expected, Daniel was the first to erupt with "What? We can't leave now, there's so much we haven't learnt yet!" What Jack hadn't been prepared for was the near universal objections from the others around him. There was a clamour of protests from the ship's Captain; the priest; the blond guy;the young girl, Kaylee; and the doctor as well as Carter, and even a frown from Teal'c.

It was the Captain who cut through the babble as he spat out an impatient string of Chinese. "_Nee mun doh BEE-jway_!"

O'Neill found himself on the receiving end of a hard stare in the sudden silence into which the other man spoke in a firm, low tone. "No-one's leaving this rock till I get myself some proper answers."

Jack levered himself to his feet to return the eyeballing with one of his own. "I really don't advise you trying to hold us here," he cautioned, the friendly tone of his voice a thin coating over a core of steel. "See, for one thing that might make me a little peevish, and we were starting to get along so well!"

The corner of the man's mouth twitched ever so slightly but he didn't budge an inch from the tense standoff, so Jack continued. "And for another, if we don't check in with our superiors soon there are going to be a lot of very upset people coming to look for us. With big weapons."

Jack watched the Captain's eyes flick over to the tall, black woman, who had remained quiet throughout. After a moment of silent communication it seemed that he conceded to Jack's point.

"Fine!" the younger man ground out. "How about one of you go back to this 'Stargate' to talk to your people, whilst the rest of us stay here all cosy like an' hash things through some more."

Jack gave a thin smile in gratitude for this kind permission. "Teal'c" he called out, not taking his eyes from the man in front of him. "Go back to the cave and call up General Hammond. Say 'Hi' from me." He flashed a quick look at his Jaffa friend, making eye contact for just long enough to convey the order that the SGC should be fully briefed about the situation here.

The Captain turned to his accomplice, making no effort to lower his voice as he bit out orders to her. "Zoë, you go with him. Check out this gate thing." He pulled a clunky rectangle from an inside pocket of his coat and threw it to her. "Listen to what he says and you report back to me, _dǒng__ ma_?"

She gave a short nod of her beautiful head. "Understood, sir."

The fair-haired, stocky man roseto his feet totake a half-step forward, a frown flashing briefly over his face before he checked himself. "Have fun, Sweetie!" he called out in a voice of slightly forced cheerfulness, before turning his attention to Teal'c. "And you, try to have her back before dark. And don't forget she's a married woman," he instructed in a tone of mock severity. "I really wouldn't want to have to get physical with you," he added fervently, glancing over the Jaffa's bulging muscles.

Teal'c, as ever, took this in his stride and gestured with a gallant bow and an open palm for the woman to precede him. She just gave a grim smile and a little jerk of the long gun she still clutched in one hand. Teal'c raised one eyebrow but proceeded to set out in front of her, setting a good pace as they marched off.

The Captain gave a little snort. "Talkative pair, ain't they? Bet that outin's gonna be a bundle of laughs." He watched them until they disappeared amongst the battered buildings, then turned back to O'Neill with a steady gaze. "So!" he announced. "While we're waitin' for confirmation of your little tale, seems like we still have a few things to discuss."

--O--

The next hour passed remarkably pleasantly, considering the circumstances. On hearing that Kaylee was the ship's mechanic, Carter had nabbed her and drawn her off to one side, the guy in the shirt trailing rather half-heartedly after them. The two womenhad become engrossed in their own little world. Judging by the exaggerated hand gestures and the increasingly complex squiggles that were being drawn in the dust, Jack judged that some serious bonding was going on.

Daniel was also involved in an animated discussion, sitting on a low stone wall with the Shepherd, the old book cradled between them. The enigmatic doctor stood behind them, peering over their shoulders to add quiet comments whenever Jackson cracked open the journal to point to a particular phrase.

O'Neill had continued the staring match with the grim-faced Captain for a while before breaking the tension with a compliment on the beautifully crafted old-style pistol that the man had reholstered at his side. This in turn led to an examination of Jack's zat gun. The sound of the discharge had caused a brief silence to fall over the group, although it was not enough distraction to pull them away from their discussions for long. It did, however, cause the large, grumpy man (and had the Captain really called him Jane?) to poke his head from out the back of the ship with a scowl. Jack carefully phrased his brief explanation of how to operate the weapon, letting the obviously unfamiliar technology speak for itself rather than raising the touchy subject of aliens directly.

Things had unwound enough for the big man to offer up his own extremely heavy hand-gun in exchange for a closer inspection of the zat, when the convivial atmosphere was broken by a crackle from the box at the Captain's hip.

Zoë's voice spoke out through the interference. "We're at the cave now, sir. It's true that there is a ring that can do things like nothin' I've seen before. Teal'c spoke to a General by way of a smallish tank. He's got something ta say that I think we need ta hear."

Jack frowned and pulled his own radio to his mouth. "Teal'c are you receiving me? Over."

His friend's deep voice sounded through the small device, sounding even graver than usual. "Colonel O'Neill. General Hammond has ordered that we should return at once through the Stargate. The SGC has been placed under quarantine."

Carter stood and came to Jack's side, a worried frown creasing her forehead. "It's Janet," she pronounced her voice heavy with anxiety. "I knew something wasn't right!"

They both jumped as River spoke up from behind them, having been totally unaware of her approach.

"Don't worry," she soothed Sam in a distracted tone. "She's resting in peace."

* * *

Chinese phrases in order of appearance: 

_yáng__yāo__ - _Foreign devil

_fèi__huà_ - Nonsense; rubbish; superfluous words

_fēng __diān __hú __shuō_ - Insane drivel

_sha gua_ - Retard (lit. stupid melon)

_Nee mun doh BEE-jway_! - Everybody shut the hell up!

_dǒng__ ma_? – understand?

_AN/ Please do let me know whether this is even vaguely believable or if you are happy to suspend your disbelief enough to read more! Plus, apologies to anyone who really speaks Mandarin. I must have the worst grammar! By the way, thanks soo much for all who have reviewed. I passed the 100 review mark! I have now officially fulfilled one of my lifetime's ambitions and it's all thanks to you guys!_


	11. Senseless

**Authors note:** Hello?! Is there anyone still there? echoing silence

Oh well, I guess I can't complain if everyone who was so nice and encouraging to me when I first started writing this has lost interest by now. There is absolutely no excuse for leaving everyone hanging for nearly a year. Reasons aplenty but I'm sure you don't want me to go into those, just to shut up and get on with it. If anyone out there has been following this story I'd be really grateful if you could let me know whether I've lost anything after my time away, and suggest (gently, I'm fragile) how I could get it back! About the content, yes I am taking liberties with the story line of Serenity (one of the best films ever made in my not unbiased opinion) but I hope you can forgive my rather liberal interpretation of cannon for the sake of a bit more excitement!

**Disclaimer**: As in chapter one. I don't own any of these characters except in my dreams, and what I get up to with them there is none of your business.

* * *

**Chapter 11**

**Senseless**

Jack let the comm line close with a crackle, and felt a cold tingle in his finger tips as the blood returned after the white knuckled grip he'd maintained during the report. His eyes connected with Sam's in a long moment of silent communion. For once, their cool depths held no answers for him and he felt an all too familiar tautness clamp down onto the knotted muscles of his shoulders.

He let out a slow breath. "Okay team, gather up." He barked, mainly out of habit, as Daniel was already moving toward them, drawn by the tension radiating from him and Sam.

Jack made an effort to paste a look of calm confidence onto a face that felt stiff with tension. "It seems we're needed back home. Time to cut this party short." He called out in a deceptively mild tone. His eyes locked with the hard glare of Captain Reynolds. "You're not going to cause a fuss about us leaving this time?" he asked of the grim faced man.

Reynolds gazed at him steadily for a long moment before giving an abrupt shake of his head. "Seems that you folk's've got your own troubles that we want no part of. Best you be on your way now." he pronounced firmly, with just a hint of threat beneath the soft drawl.

Jack hesitated, knowing what a tempest he was likely to stir up with his next announcement. "Problem is," he paused, picking his words with care, "we're gonna have to take River here back with us." He grimaced as the doctor grabbed his sister to him protectively, the fine lines of his jaw stiffening into granite, and hurried on placatingly "just to get her checked out. Make sure she's not going to get sick too."

"Absolutely not" the doctor ground out, his voice strained with suppressed emotion. "There is no power in the 'verse that can take River away from me again." He went on, his voice and body stilling into a steely calm.

The big guy, Jayne, shuffled away from the siblings awkwardly. Hovering in a distinctly fight or flight stance, the weight resting on the balls of his feet, he levelled a twitchy glare at the quiet girl caged in her brother's arms.

"I dunno." He growled out, "I heard what the guy just said over the comm. They got folks goin' whappy or fallin' down like as dead over there. Now I never heard of no-one catching the screaming crazies like a cold, but let's not be stupid here. I say we let them take the girl before she makes us all as cracked as she is."

The doctor looked at Jayne as if he was something he'd like to scrape off his shoe but before he could comment, Wash let out a snort of amusement.

"I wouldn't worry about it Jayne." he grinned "If being crazy were contagious you'd have been a terminal case a long time ago!"

Jack felt the tension ease up slightly at the joke, only to slam right back up in his face as the Captain took a slow step forward to place himself meaningfully between River and the SG1 team.

"No-one's gonna be takin' the girl anywhere, lest it be us takin' her outa here." he proclaimed softly, the ferocity in his eyes belying the calmness of his tone.

Jack hesitated, trying to decide what flexibility he could read into his orders to contain the outbreak. With Teal'c out of the loop his team were heavily outnumbered and he didn't like the odds of getting out of this with the girl without blood being spilt.

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut short as River made a sudden move, breaking free from her brother's grasp. Lunging forward into a low, crouched, fencing stance, she shot out a pale arm toward Jayne's hip, causing him to leap back with a startled yelp. There was a moment of frozen stillness as all eyes were transfixed by the long, glistening blade that River now clutched in one hand. The viciously serrated tip swayed in serpentine arcs in front of the girl's intent face.

Jayne spat an unintelligible curse, beads of sweat collecting in the fierce furrows of his brow as he backed away with his fists raised in front of his chest. "You keep her away from me. I ain't gonna get cut on again!" he growled to no-one in particular.

Kaylee stepped forward with a grimace of apprehension and concern. "Oh honey, please put the knife down" she whimpered. River ignored her, still staring fixedly at the shining metal that Simon's hand was creeping slowly towards. In another of those rapid fire bursts of energy that once again caught everyone by surprise, she whipped the knife around to draw it in a confident sweep across her bare forearm. Simon let out a moan of protest as the bright blood welled up to run in vivid trails down her pale skin. He reached forward to grasp gentle hands around her arm but she shook him off to stalk past the startled captain, toward the SG team. Before he or the doctor could restrain her again she thrust the stained and sticky blade toward O'Neill's face.

Jack was rather proud of the fact that he didn't flinch as that wickedly sharp point came to rest a couple of inches in front of his nose. His wary and confused gaze rested on River's expectant face. "You want me…here I am." she urged, giving the blade a jiggle which shook free a glutinous red drop that splattered, unheeded to the ground.

It was Carter who was the first to move forward slowly, cautiously covering River's hand with her own. Her eyes met Jack's as she carefully disengaged the knife from the girl's loose grip. "A blood sample would be useful, sir." she commented, then grimaced, adding wryly "Although there are easier ways of getting one" as she fumbled in a thigh pocket for a container.

Jack watched in bemusement as the large mercenary came to hover behind her as Sam scraped together a full sample pot. Sam jumped, startled out of her concentration as he reached a long arm over her shoulder to reclaim his weapon in a possessive snatch. He hesitated, looking worriedly at the smear of blood on the blade, then crouched down. Holding the blade as far away from his body as his thick arm could stretch, he wiped the metal clean on the dry, yellow grass.

A small grin was wiped from Jack's face at the doctor's clipped tones chilled the air. "You've got your sample. Now please, just go." Simon had reached his sister's side again and was clutching a crumpled handkerchief to her injured arm, the white silk already blossoming with the bright blood.

Jack hesitated then nodded, reluctantly. "Okay, we're going. And you're welcome by the way." he muttered resignedly. He straightened his spine, shrugging off these people's problems with a sardonic salute. He gathered his team to him with a gesture and without another word they turned to leave the hostile group. There were no protests from Daniel or Sam this time. Instead they walked with a suppressed urgency, all too aware of the troubles of their own that awaited them at the home they all felt they were supposed to keep safe from such things.

--O--

General Hammond once more stood gazing down at the ancient stone ring clamped so incongruously amidst the tangle of machinery in the gate room. He felt like he'd kept this vigil a million times. Whenever possible, he always liked to be present when a team was due to return. He felt it added to the sense of family that was so strong at the SGC. This time felt different, though. The control room was deathly quiet and still as the grave. He and Lieutenant Siler were the only people present amidst the blinking lights. The rest of the usually busy personnel had been confined to quarters to prevent the spread of the contagion and the base was operating on a skeleton staff.

Siler turned his head to give the General a small tight smile of relief as he finally announced the incoming wormhole. This was followed a moment later by the expected addition of "It's SG1 sir. They're coming home."

Hammond nodded, not bothering to give the order to open the iris when there was no-one else around to witness the usual formalities. He left Siler to it as he turned to descend the spiral staircase, reaching the bottom just as the silver membrane was pierced by the arriving form of Sam Carter.

He watched as the members of SG1 slouched slowly down the ramp, each looking grim faced and weary. He moved forward to greet them, inspecting each of their faces carefully for any small detail that seemed out of place.

O'Neil grinned wryly at both the solemn greeting and the scrutiny.

"Thanks, sir. We're all feeling fine, you'll be glad to hear. A little tired maybe but nothing that can't be explained by a good hike and a fun day's rock climbing."

Hammond nodded slowly, his shrewd eyes still fixed on the haggard faces in front of him. "I'm sure you're right but let's get you checked out anyway. Report to the infirmary." he ordered crisply.

This order usually produced rolled eyes and exaggerated sighs of protest but it was a subdued group that Jack led out into the hush of the deserted corridors.

--O--

Sam started and whirled around as a small sigh rasped loudly in the quiet observation room.

"Colonel!" she gasped, then blushed in embarrassment at her jumpiness. "I didn't hear you come in." she muttered, turning back to stare through the glass window into the sterile room below. She felt him come up behind her to slouch untidily against the other side of the window frame, joining her in her contemplation of the bustle beyond.

"You heard anything new?" he asked in a deceptively casual tone. Sam shook her head, not looking up from her observation of the bulkily suited white figures that scurried from one bed to the next.

"Dr Harlowe says that Janet and the others are stable for now." She said, gazing sadly at the still figures in the beds. Although she hadn't been allowed in to sit with her friend, she could see even from her isolated vantage point that Janet's skin looked yellow and waxy and distressingly corpselike. "He's loaded them up with stimulants and that seems to have halted the deterioration for now, but they're all in level three GCS comas, sir." she went on, her voice heavily laced with the worry that clouded her elfin features.

"And him?" O'Neil asked in a cold voice, jerking his chin to indicate the far bed.

Carter's eyes instinctively followed the movement but then skipped away, unwilling to dwell on the writhing wreck that had once been a fresh-faced, eager young man. "They have Airman Groves heavily sedated sir." Carter chose to focus her eyes on the set face of the man in front of her whilst she talked, rather than following his shadowed, hard glare down into the room beyond. "Not that it's doing much good. His adrenaline levels are too high to keep him under for long, but if they pump any more drugs into him they'd be risking an overdose."

O'Neills face settled into uncompromising lines as he gazed grimly down at the figure cocooned beneath a criss-crossing web of restraint straps. "And they think that would be a bad thing?" he asked bitterly.

Carter stared at her commanding officer in horror, a small almost inaudible gasp of protest escaping her throat as her mind flashed an image of Airman Groves and the nervous, shy smile he always gave her whenever their paths crossed on the base. Sounds carried in the stillness of the observation room and maybe it was this that caused O'Neill's dark eyes to disengage with the scene below, and instead stare at her with a flash of barely controlled rage.

"I heard what he left of Nurse Buchanan." he ground out, his tone dangerously quiet. "We shouldn't be treating him as a human anymore. We'd do no less for a rabid dog."

There was a long moment of silence and O'Neill shifted uncomfortably as Carter's face reflected a level of fear and distress that she hardly ever let show, even to those closest to her. "And what about us, sir?" she finally asked, her voice little more than a whisper. "What about me and Daniel and Teal'c? If we started to become …. Would you put us down?"

If she was expecting an answer, some comfort from the man that had pulled all their asses out of the fire so many times before, then none was forthcoming. He turned from her again to stare back down into the room beyond and, after a strained moment, she joined him there. They stood shoulder to shoulder, unspeaking but both glad of the company as they kept their tense vigil.

--O--

It was a grim faced crew that gathered around the conference table an hour later. Jack couldn't help but reflect that it was not even a day since they had last sat here, full of optimism as they planned on returning River to her family. As then, General Hammond now sat at the head of the table but looked more pale and, frankly, older than Jack had ever remembered seeing him. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c had instinctively sat in the same seats, as if drawing comfort from the normalcy of routine. What seemed most out of place was the older, lanky grey haired figure sitting in the place most usually claimed by the compact form of Janet Fraiser.

O'Neill had been trained in reading body language decades ago for his black ops work, and reading people had become almost second nature to him now. A part of him wondered if Dr Harlowe was aware of all the negative and even outright aggressive vibes he was receiving from the others in the room. Amazingly it was Teal'c's straight, calm figure that was the only one not showing a trace of hostility, and he was the person who had the most right, considering that the man had been responsible for using Teal'c as a lab rat the last time he'd been called to the SGC. However, it was clear that Teal'c wasn't prepared to discuss that piece of history right now. There were more immediate things to work out.

"So, what news?" General Hammond asked abruptly, and it was a measure of how tense his people had become that there was more than one start at the suddenness of the question.

Harlowe shuffled a thick bundle of papers into a neater stack in front of him and cleared his throat portentously. "We've stabilised the condition of the patients currently in a vegetative state through continued administration of epinephrine to boost cardiac output and reduce hypoxia. We have had no signs of further deterioration for several hours now." The doctor looked up with a bland smile but blanched at the look on Jack O'Neills face.

"So what you're saying, doc, is that you've stopped them getting worse but you have absolutely no clue as to how to fix this!" he snapped in a dangerous voice.

The doctor spluttered for a moment "Well, it will take some time to finish running tests on possible..."

Carter broke in before he had a chance to finish, a breach of protocol that showed both how stressed she was with the current situation and how much respect she had lost for her old tutor in their recent dealings with him. "What I want to know is how this disease got onto the base in the first place. I _know_ Janet tested that corpse for pathogens before bringing it back. It must be something completely new."

A tight smile flashed across Harlowe's long parchment features. "Actually that's something we do know. Janet missed this precisely because it _isn't _new. It's one of the most common bacteria around."

Carter frowned and opened her mouth to leap to the defence of her friend, but shut it again after a quelling look from Hammond.

"Please explain, doctor" the General requested firmly.

The doctor smiled politely, his grey face alight with interest. "We now know that this disease is caused by a mutated form of _Staphlococcus epidermidis_. It's a regular part of the microbial flora on almost every person's skin. That's the thing! You would expect it to be there, and normally it's completely harmless. We live with it, happily, every day of our lives." The older man leaned forward excitedly, obviously forgetting the emotional impact of his words in his scientific curiosity. "The troubles we're having stem from the fact that this particular form of the bacterium has been altered into something altogether less mundane."

General Hammond frowned, either at the doctor's words or manner. "Altered? Are you talking about a deliberate attempt at biological warfare, doctor?" he asked sharply, dangerous scenarios obviously running through his mind.

Harlowe blinked in surprise and paused to consider his answer for a moment. "Not necessarily, General." he replied finally, although added thoughtfully, as if the idea had only just occurred to him. "But now that you mention it, it would be particularly effective as a weapon, wouldn't it?"

The force of five hostile glares slammed into him and he blinked in astonishment at the waves of anger that rolled off the people around him. General Hammond put words to the seething atmosphere of the room. "That is _not_ something I wish to hear repeated outside of this room, _ever_. Do you understand me doctor?" the General spoke in a slow, clear and very final tone.

A look of shame and embarrassment crossed Harlowe's normally composed face as he was forcibly reminded of the last time he had blindly assisted in the military's zeal to exploit a biological weapon, no matter what the cost. He avoided the unfriendly stares by looking down at his notes again. "It's actually an amazingly intricate bit of gene manipulation. The bacteria have been skilfully altered at the genetic level to produce a specific complex chemical as a by-product of their normal metabolic processes."

The doctor glanced up and seemed undismayed by a couple of the blank looks he was receiving. His eyes locked onto Sam's, the only person giving him an encouraging nod, as he went on. "It's my belief that this bacterium was first developed as a form of advanced mass biopharmaceutical production. In the same way that we manipulate the genetic code of _Escerichia coli_ bacteria to cause them to produce human insulin for the treatment of diabetics or human growth hormone to help children who have stunted development. The chemical that this alien bacterium releases in gaseous form has some amazing mood altering properties that could have immense potential for all sorts of anti-psychotic medication."

O'Neill let out a snort of black humour. "If you're saying that stuff was designed as a tranquilliser, I'd say that it's doing its job _really_ badly or just a little too well!"

Harlowe blinked in surprise at the source of this comment, unused to the rare glimpses the action-oriented Colonel occasionally gave into his true intellectual capabilities. It was Daniel who had the puzzled frown creasing his forehead as he chimed in. "Hang on, let me get this straight." Jackson demanded, leaning forward. "You're saying that this disease was deliberately designed but was meant to help people not hurt them?" he asked incredulously.

Dr Harlowe scowled in impatience. "I'm saying that the possibility exists that this genetic manipulation was conducted from benign motives, yes. In small quantities the drug that the bacteria produce might not be so harmful. It has a very short half-life, it wouldn't persist in the atmosphere for longer than a few minutes. Think of the possibilities. It could be of immense use, for example, in calming crowds in riot situations."

There were more than a few uneasy looks exchanged around the table at the turn the conversation had taken. As usual it was Jack who put everyone's unspoken doubts into words. "That's great, doc, as long as you don't mind a few of the rioters chowing down on the others that you've just gassed into a coma!"

The doctor nodded impatiently at the sarcastic comment, a small frown crossing his face as if someone had spoken out of turn during a lesson. "The unfortunate … side effects may not have been intended or even suspected. The problems you have been experiencing on the base stem from the fact that the bacterium has been allowed to reproduce unchecked, converting the normal cell processes of all the other microbial skin flora that it comes into contact with." He gave a disapproving shake of his head. "If this bacterium was originally produced for the purposes of pharming a drug then it may not have been wise to use such a common and contagious potential pathogen. Any breach in lab protocol and an outbreak would be almost inevitable. Any person affected would rapidly have this organism spread over the whole surface of their bodies, exposing them to a vast overdose of the chemical produced."

Carter's face lit up with hope at his words. "If that's the case then surely we can just sterilise all the bacteria present that are producing the chemical and our people should start to recover."

Harlowe gave her an approving smile, as if she'd solved a difficult problem that he'd set, but his words certainly weren't encouraging. "Theoretically, yes. Even though the bacterium is resistant to most of the common forms of antibiotics, we do have access to powerful bactericidal compounds that should do the trick. But I'm afraid it's not quite as easy as that."

"Of course not", O'Neill muttered with bitter sarcasm.

Doctor Harlowe continued as if he hadn't heard. "The problem is that, as is always a risk when dealing with living organisms, some of the bacteria have mutated. They're producing a more active and dangerous form of the compound. It's altering the underlying brain chemistry, changing the shape and structure of any protein it comes into contact with. In most instances this is leading to a profound reduction in brain activity but in isolated cases there is something about the host that triggers a different response. We're not entirely sure why, but we are seeing a mass increase in adrenaline production and activities of the neuromodulator regions of the brain controlling pleasure and pain. This process seems to have become an enzymatic cascade. Killing the original bacterial vector isn't enough I'm afraid."

There was a moment of silence. Carter spoke up in a tightly controlled voice. "Do you have any clue as to how to reverse it?"

The doctor cleared his throat defensively. "We have a couple of tests ongoing at the moment but it will take a while to be certain of the most promising line of enquiry."

O'Neill leaned back in his chair in disgust. "I'm sure we all feel much better for knowing that you're working on the problem." he commented, derision dripping from every word.

Daniel broke the hostile pause with a tentative raise of his hand. "I'm sorry, guys, I don't mean to sound selfish or insensitive but I can't help but wonder if this is going to affect us. We came into contact with that … thing, too. You've run your tests, are we going to become…" he trailed off uncomfortably.

There was a tense silence in the room, and when the doctor broke it there was a trace of apology in his normally expressionless tone "I'm afraid I can't tell you that yet. Initial tests have shown that the bacteria was present on the skin of all four of you, although the antibacterial scrubs you have gone through have ensured that you no longer carry any potential pathogens. It will take time, though , to run a DNA analysis of the bacteria to determine whether you carried the mutated form." The doctor frowned again. "Even then, we still couldn't predict what path the infection might take."

A collective shudder went around the room as each person indulged in some private, and extremely unpleasant thoughts.

Teal'c was the first person to speak, his deep voice under tight control. "And what of River Tam?" he enquired firmly. "Of us all she had the closest exposure to the attacking creature. Is she in danger, or likely to become a danger to those around her?"

Once more Harlowe shrugged impotently. "The sample you brought back is being analysed right now but we just don't know yet."

O'Neill frowned in sympathy at the look of worry he could detect in his friend's normally impassive dark eyes. "I'm sorry, Teal'c." he murmured, thinking of the bond that had formed in just a brief time between the stoic warrior and the eccentric child he had taken under his wing. In a fit of frustration he brought his fist slamming down on the polished table top, causing everyone around to jump. "Dammit! We should have brought her back with us, no matter what that arrogant captain said!" he exclaimed loudly.

It was a measure of how worried they all were that Teal'c, who had never before been heard to even hint at questioning his commanding officer's actions in public, let slip a muttered "Indeed".


	12. Daybreak

**Author's ****note:** I think I possibly have broken all records of delays in updating. I believe it has been nigh on four years! All my most loyal fans have probably moved away or are dead by now, but never mind! I had pretty much given up on this story but reviewers never gave up on me and suddenly I got fed up with myself for never finishing what I start. Long story short, I have brushed the dust off of this and I am determined that I WILL finish it! We are on the home stretch now with only about 4 more chapters planned (although they do tend to expand in the telling so you never know!). I shall try to bludgeon myself with guilt to keep writing until this is done!

**Disclaimer**: As in chapter one. I don't own any of these characters except in the alternate dimension where shrimp doesn't exist, and believe me even there, the money and power does not make up for the lack of sesame seed prawn toast.

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**Chapter 12 - Daybreak**

Simon crouched down to put his eye to the inch of open darkness between the dry, cracked wood of the door frame and the faded and peeling paint of the saloon door.

"Can you see anything?" Kaylee's worried voice whispered breathily from behind his shoulder.

He heard the whistle of a fast approaching object coming from the gloom beyond and just managed to pull his head back in time to avoid the spray of liquid as a bottle burst into an exploding cloud of glass and whiskey.

"River!" His shout of protest came out as a more of a squeak of surprise than the firm tone of reprimand that he had been aiming for. "Stop that and come on out here!" he went on, trying desperately to regain some control of the situation.

"_Ham__Ka__Chan_!" Simon tensed as the snarl of disgust announced the arrival of a further spectator behind him. "Bad enough the crazy girl might be plague ridden, now she's gotta be flingin' good booze around!" Simon took a deep breath, carefully gathering his composure as the growl went on. "Isn't someone gonna drag her outta there afore she wrecks the whole damn place?"

The doctor let out the breath in an impatient sigh and slumped back into an irritated heap against the rough stone wall. He looked up at the mercenary with a sardonic quirk of his eyebrow. "By all means," he commented dryly, "be my guest!"

Simon watched in weary amusement as Jayne glared at the hand he'd extended towards the door in an exaggeratedly polite gesture of 'after you'. The big man hesitated, eyes resting uncertainly on the dark depths beyond the crudely barricaded door. He let out a bad tempered snort.

"Hell, I ain't in charge of roundin' her up. There's other stuff needin' loadin'." He shot a dark look at the sitting doctor. "You be sure an' to call me when you got her under control." he instructed brusquely.

Simon was careful to keep the bland smile in place. "Of course. Don't let us keep you. I'm sure you have important looting to be doing!" he said brightly to the broad retreating back.

He sighed and felt a small hand settle hesitantly on his slumped shoulder. "Um, Simon?" He looked up into Kaylee's worried face. "'Ain't there nothin' you can think of to get her outta there? She could hurt herself," she glanced around with a shiver "An' I gotta _real_ bad feeling 'bout this place."

Simon hesitated, looking conflicted as he looked back towards the doorway. He opened his mouth to say something but then they both jumped as an angry yell echoed from the shadowed room.

"No! Don't want to sleep! Not time to wake up yet! I'm staying here till daybreak."

Simon blinked, squinting a puzzled glance up at the bright disc of the sun, just disappearing beneath a think, heavy layer of cloud. He lent his mouth closer to the gap again. "Um, River, it _is_ morning. And we really need to leave soon."

He reared back as another bottle smashed against the loosely piled chairs tumbled on the other side of the saloon door, sending a fine mist of droplets out to pepper the red, sandy soil. Sighing again, he cast a worried look up at the tense mechanic. "I think you should be the one to tell the Captain that this may take a while."

Kaylee nodded distractedly, hunching her shoulders against the gust of wind that suddenly sprang up, whipping the dust into stinging swirls. "'Kay" she muttered in a subdued tone, cradling her arms across her torso as she shot a quick look up at the darkening sky. "Just… please try to hurry. There's a storm comin'." She shivered "We're not careful an' we'll all get caught up when it blows."

-O-

Daniel tried hard to resist grinding his teeth in annoyance as a large shadow obscured the page he was reading yet again. He felt the looming presence of his restless friend as he paused to lean over his shoulder as he had been doing, off and on, for the last half hour.

The rest of SG1 had chosen by mutual consent to stay close to Dr Carter as she lent whatever assistance she could to Harlowe's investigations. This meant, in turn, either meditating cross-legged on a hospital cot; sitting on a visitor chair whilst peering through a water stained old volume; or pacing from one side of the auxiliary medical centre to the other, pausing every couple of minutes to sigh or fiddle with the fixtures and fittings. Daniel looked up and met one of Teal'c's eyes as it cracked open in annoyance. He watched in interest as the large black man drew in a breath to say something. He wondered if Teal'c was going to be the one to finally tell off their commanding officer for being a pain. Whatever the ex-Jaffa might have been about to say, though, was cut short as Sam burst through the door from the lab beyond in a whirl of energy that had all eyes on her.

"Hey guys, good news" she burst out, blue eyes twinkling as they flicked from one to another of her highly focused audience.

There was a moment of breathless silence, which Jack broke in carefully controlled tones of sarcasm. "Could it be that we're _not_ about to develop an uncontrollable appetite for each other's brains?"

Sam's grin stretched wide, bathing each of them in the force of her relief. "No sir! Our results came up clean. We're not carrying the mutated strain."

There was a long exhalation from where Daniel was sitting, and he seemed to deflate as the tension drained out of him along with the breath. Even the stoic Teal'c closed his eyes for a couple of seconds, his face unreadable.

Sam carried on in a voice a little shaky with emotion. "It seems you need physical contact to spread this disease, and we never really touched those monsters with our bare hands."

Teal'c's eyes shot open, hard as granite. "But River Tam did have substantial contact with the beings. Does this mean that she is infected?"

Sam shook her head, smiling at him in affectionate reassurance. "No, we're pretty sure she's clean. The sample of her blood showed no trace of the active chemical. Her dopamine levels, however, were even higher than when Janet tested her." Sam paused to level a significant look at the group, but seeing no light dawning on their faces, she continued quickly. "Remember what Janet said about this neurotransmitter being to do with control of muscles and emotions? Well we think that River's abnormal brain chemistry might be what's protecting her from infection." She flashed an encouraging grin at the dawning look of hope on Daniel's face.

"So do you think this could be used to help create a vaccine, or maybe even a cure?" he bit out in an animated tone.

She held a hand up, as if to slow him down, but the excitement in her voice was at odds with her cautious body language. "Well, we're not sure yet. But initial tests are looking promising. We may be ready to try out a prototype treatment in a matter of hours."

-O-

The mood around the briefing room this time was very different. Whilst all those sitting around the large conference table still looked like death warmed over following their long vigil, the creases around eyes and corners of mouths were stretched into smiles. Even Teal'c's mouth had twitched up at one corner at the news that, an hour after the vaccine had been delivered to Janet, she had opened her eyes and smiled at Sam, before lapsing into a far more normal and brain active sleep.

The only thing that marred the celebrations was the news that, just after being given the serum, Airman Groves had suffered a massive cardiac arrest and died on table.

There was a moment's silence. Which Jack broke in a gruff voice.

"I think that's probably for the best, don't you?"

Sam made a small noise of protest, thinking back to that eager young man who'd stood trembling in the doorway to the room they were sitting in just three days ago. Jack fixed her with a sympathetic look. "Come on Sam!" he murmured. "The guy pretty much ate one woman and had seriously started to slice up Janet before being taken down by those orderlies. You don't come back from that." He grimaced. "Or if you could, you sure wouldn't want to."

Sam nodded in reluctant agreement, then brightened. "But tests seem to be showing that the dopamine vaccine is pretty much one hundred per cent effective in preventing the enzyme cascade that triggers the onset of the extreme response. That combined with the complete decontamination of the facility should be enough to get the quarantine lifted in a few days."

Hammond smiled at her. He felt the tension drain out of his body as he sensed the echoing emptiness of the base coming back to teeming life as the personnel were released from their lock-down.

In a bright, overly innocent voice, Sam carried on. "And, since the planet we just came from probably officially counts as also being under that same quarantine, I don't see any reason why we should wait before going back there and sharing the vaccine with them."

That wiped the smile from his face. "Now hold on a minute. No-one's yet discussed whether or not we intend to make any further contact with a people who, however inadvertently, released such a powerful and potentially disastrous contagion onto this base." the General barked out, his tone stern and reproving.

Jack watched in amusement as his second in command lent forward, her body language radiating passionate entreaty, although her tone remained calm and professional. "But Sir, this will be a valuable bargaining tool. From what I gather, these monsters, who they call 'Reavers', are a menace that terrorize and slaughter their way across the rim planets. We could offer them a possible solution to that problem." She flashed a smile that bordered on sly. "And they do have access to some pretty advanced technology, Sir. I, for one, would love to get a hold of one of their terraforming machines."

Daniel chimed in at this point, sounding a touch defensive. "And the historical and sociological insights we could gain from studying their culture should not be overlooked." He slumped back in his chair, and Jack heard a rather petulant mumble "although they usually are".

General Hammond raised an eyebrow at the archaeologist and Jack saw him sit up straighter, a blush spreading across his cheekbones as he cast his eyes down. Damn, he wished he knew how Hammond could do that with just one glance. It was a skill he'd never quite seemed to master, at least where Daniel was concerned.

There was a moment's quiet as the General looked sternly around the table, as if re-establishing discipline on an unruly class.

"Yes, thank you for your opinions. They have been noted." he finally intoned in a calm voice. "In point of fact, all I said was that further contact had not yet been discussed. Actually I was leaning towards sending a party back to negotiate with these people. After all, it's the underlying mission statement of this base to seek out new technologies and allies to help us in our fight against the Goa'uld"

"To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilisations!" Jack chimed in helpfully, earning a quelling glare from Hammond.

"And even if these people had nothing to offer us.." Hammond went on softly. "Our base was just nearly wiped out by the most horrifying biological agent we have ever had to face. It's only by the grace of god, and one young girl, that we have been able to find a cure before it spread. Do you really think me so heartless that I would leave other worlds to that dreadful fate when we have it in our power to help them?"

Hammond shifted in discomfort under the waves of affection and approval that the team were flooding him with. "You have an hour to make ready for a return trip, gentlemen." He smiled, quirking an eyebrow at them. "You have a go, SG1. But I suggest you go quickly. Before someone up the line decides to overrule me on this."

-O-

Mal brushed the fine red dust from his hands, scrubbing them along the length of his thighs. It didn't help. He felt like this planet had left a patina of grime over all of them that no number of the lukewarm flannel washes, that were all Serenity could offer them by way of hygiene, could ever remove.

He watched Jayne carry the last crate of dehydrated food cubes from the broken down general store. He spotted the Shepherd watching the mercenary's progress too, before turning to stare at him. Mal met his eyes calmly, refusing to look away. There was no shame in this. There wasn't. He had his own flock to tend to, and even the meagre belongings that were all these townsfolk had owned would be useful to keep them flying for just one more week. It wasn't as if they needed them anymore. They were dead. All dead. And Mal's crew were alive. Because they'd left whilst the rest of the town were...

He sighed and broke the gaze, instead looking around at the silent town. It looked almost normal now. The bodies were all out of sight, covered over with a thin layer of empty platitudes. Kaylee had even washed the walls of their splashes of blood, despite Mal's strict instructions that she stay on the ship. He wondered whether any other colonists would come to settle here, in the shell of a town that had been left standing. Would the Alliance tell them what had happened here? Would they sense it? Would they hear the screams late at night?

He shook his head. This wasn't getting them off planet and he _really_ wanted to be in the quiet of the black right now. He started striding over to the Saloon, finally seeing the door swinging open and Simon missing from that amusing huddle he'd been occupying for nigh on six hours now. 'Bout time he got that Lazarus sister of his under control.

He paused in the doorway, stepping over the soup of whiskey and glass with a sigh of annoyance.

"Doc? You in here?" he called impatiently. Simon straightened up from behind the bar with a sheepish grin. He dragged his sister up with him, with a gentle yet insistent grip around her thin forearm.

"It's alright, Captain. She finally ran out of bottles!" River scowled at him, her bottom lip stuck out in a five year old's pout.

"I didn't want to leave yet. It wasn't time."

Mal fixed her with his sternest glare. "I think you'll find, darlin', that it's time when I say it's time!" he growled out in a low voice.

River tipped her head to one side as if listening for something, then her face broke into a broad grin. "Yes!" she crowed. "It _is_time! And you're about to call time on the lot of them." She put her hands on the counter and levered herself up across the bar to place a lightning fast kiss on Mal's cheek.

"Come on, Simon!" she called impatiently, tugging at her brother's arm like the mother of a reluctant child.

The Doctor glance back at his startled Captain with a bemused shrug, before letting himself be pulled out of the tavern.

Mal smiled. The look Simon had given him had spoken volumes about the indignities suffered by older brothers, especially those whose little sisters are so frustratingly unpredictable. It was a very expressive look, and Mal felt something in his gut loosen a little at its eloquence after the last few days of living with an empty shell, carved of ice.

He was walking back towards the ship, small smile firmly in place, when he heard a soft voice by his elbow.

"Sir!" He looked up at Zoë, and saw her give that little cock of the head that was so familiar to him from the war.

His gun was in his hand in an instant and he had it lined up just as the first of the figures rounded the corner of the general store.

The old fighter, O'Neil, didn't seem fazed by the response, although he did keep his hands conspicuously in view. He treated them all to a wide grin.

"Hey Kids, we're back!" he called out brightly. His eyes met Mal's and his smile turned a little cynical as he glanced down at the drawn weapon. "Did you miss us?"

* * *

**Chinese phrases in order of appearance:**

_Ham__Ka__Chan_ – curse your family to death


	13. Sunset

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm so happy that people are reviewing again, and being so nice! I must admit that I was a bit worried to stick my head above the parapet again for fear of being lynched for abandoning you for so long. I'm doing my best to update faster, although I feel that I'm grindingly out of touch with this story! I hope it isn't too noticeable, but (as always) suggestions are always welcomed. Sorry, a lot of exposition and not a lot of action in this chapter. I shall try to remedy that in the next chapter. This should be up in maybe a week, as I'm off to a Supernatural convention this weekend! Wheee!

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**Chapter 13 – Sunset**

Despite Mal's misgivings at the intrusion into his domain, the group had relocated to the dining room on Serenity's upper deck. Mal's hand twitched above the holster of his gun as he leaned against the leaf stencils decorating the warm yellow wall of the room. His crew were arrayed around the walls of the cosy space whilst the four strangers were seated around the table in the middle. He couldn't help be proud of the fact that his people had silently and instinctively banded together to retain the psychological advantage of higher ground. Not that this seemed to have made a difference. The interlopers seemed annoyingly at ease as Kaylee fussed around them, offering them hot drinks and slices of the last of the fresh apples they'd salvaged from the carcass of Verbena.

He pushed himself upright with a decisive gesture, bringing all eyes to him. "As delightful as this little tea party is, if y'all are quite done takin' your ease, I'd be mighty grateful if you could get on with sharin' what other _Fuhn Pi _story you've come to tell us."

O'Neil raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, we thought that the neighbourly thing to do would be share the good news with y'all!" he drawled in an exaggerated southern accent. Daniel, sitting next to him, gave him a surreptitious yet painful dig in the ribs with his elbow before leaning forward in enthusiasm.

"River's not contagious!" Jackson practically crowed, grinning over the table at where the young girl was hovering within touching distance of Teal'c's placid bulk. "In fact the blood sample she gave us led to the discovery of a vaccine to the illness that was sweeping our base. We came to offer to share that cure with you." He paused, looking at them expectantly, but explosions of gratitude did not seem to be forthcoming from the blank faces staring back at him.

It was Simon who broke the confused silence. "Um, I'm sure that's very nice of you." He gave them a tight, polite smile, and stepped closer to his sister, resting his hands on her thin shoulders. "Whilst it's fantastic news that River is healthy, surely this means that we don't really need your vaccine."

Sam frowned, looking over to the doorway to the galley, where the young mechanic was still hovering, clutching an oriental looking tea pot. "But didn't Kaylee tell me that those 'Reavers' as you call them caused devastation on more than just this planet? Surely you'd want to stop the spread of their infection."

"WHAT?" Jayne's voice bellowed through the room, causing Sam to flinch back from the white-faced madman. "Are you tryin' to tell us that Reavers is some sorta plague that you got spreadin'?" He whirled to face Mal. "I knew these _Ai ChrJze Se Duh Fohn Diang Gho _would bring nothin' but trouble. Why'n the sphincter o' hell you lettin' them in here with us?"

Kaylee edged round the corner towards him, one hand reaching out in a tentative gesture. "Calm down, Jayne! No-one's ever been suggestin' that Reavers are sick, 'cept in their heads." She shot a rather desperate smile at Daniel. "You got it wrong. See, Reavers is just folks that got all addlepated out in the depths of the black. That's right, ain't it Shepherd?" Her tone turned almost pleading as she stared over at the quiet, grey-haired man.

Shepherd Book stared hard at Daniel, a small frown creasing the dark skin of his forehead. "That's certainly what I've always been led to believe." he murmured, so quietly that Mal had to strain to hear him. He raised shadowed eyes to meet the Captain's. "Although I must admit to having spent many a sleepless night contemplating that received wisdom since we met that poor soul from the derelict last year."

Mal's face was granite as he met the Shepherd's gaze. "I thought we agreed that that _Kōng Yāomó_ was the result of some tortured brainwashing." he ground out in a low voice. "Hell, no man could go through what he did with his wits in one piece. There's no cause to be thinkin' that he caught his brainrot like some disease." His eyes sought out Simon for reassurance. "Doc, you had him in our ship, under your care. He weren't catchin' was he? I'd have sure thought we'd have known it by now!"

Wash snorted, trying to break the tension with a joke. "With this crew? Would we even notice if we were all whacked with the crazy stick?" The remark fell into the strained silence of the room like a lead weight into a black hole. No-one even glanced at him, instead fixing their eyes on the Doctor.

Simon shook his head slowly, his eyes flicking from the Captain to the group of strangers, who sat patiently, watching the debate. "I .. I can't be sure. I never screened him for pathogens." He scrubbed his hands unconsciously over the pockets of his still crumpled jacket. "It's possible, I suppose. I never came into direct contact with him." He cracked a dry smile. "Thank god for ingrained sterile procedure."

Book spoke up again, with an abstracted air. "What they're saying does make a lot of sense. The devastation the Reavers bring is just so complete! No survivors, at least none who were human after. Whole colonies wiped out. You'd think some would have run, would have hidden." He raised his eyebrows. "It's like they just lay down and waited to die."

Mal ground his jaw, feeling his certainty begin to crumble, as Wash chimed in again in an animated voice.

"But if it was a disease, we'd have known it, surely. Someone would have tried to find a cure!"

It was at this point that O'Neil finally spoke up. "Not if that would mean admitting the cause."

The room fell silent; all eyes fixed on the stocky soldier slouched at their table.

"Explain." Mal ordered, his voice dangerously calm.

"This disease wasn't natural. Someone created it."

There was a loaded silence, which was shattered as Mal exploded into motion and noise. "_Ung Jeong Jia Ching Jien So_! I knew it! Those Alliance sons'o bitches! The folks out on the rim getting' uppity, not wantin' to follow all a' their rules? Create the ultimate boogeyman. That'll keep 'em in line. And if it doesn't, ya' can always bomb the hell out'a them." He punched the wall, leaving a streak of blood from split knuckles that marred the golden paint.

Sam called out to him in a calming voice. "If it's any consolation, we suspect that the extreme response was an unintended side effect of an attempt at biopharmaceutical production of a mood altering suppressant gas."

"What does that mean?" Kaylee asked in a small voice.

Simon ground out the answer, his voice ice-cold. "It means that someone engineered a drug to tranquillize a population into submission. The Reavers were just an accident."

"They wouldn't lie down." The room practically held its breath at River's soft voice, shaking slightly with suppressed emotion. "The rest of them, they laid down. Laid down and shut out the Sun. Laid still and cold until worms crawled into their eyes and into their brain. Like him." She shuddered, arms cradled around her stomach.

O'Neil leaned forward intently over the table. "Who, River? Who has a worm in his brain?"

River appeared to ignore him, twisting in her brother's suddenly tense hands to stare up at him with haunted eyes. "He came to see me, in that place. The Father, the Sun, the Ghost behind the scenes." Her head snapped round to stare down at Teal'c's upraised face.

"He came to inspect his new army, whispering to me. Needles in my brain to make a new breed of Jaffa." A single tear escaped to slide unheeded down her pale cheek. "But he was too rough with his toys. We all twisted. We all broke …" she trailed off and Simon enveloped her sagging frame in his arms, leaning his head against the side of hers and whispering soft Mandarin phrases in her ear.

The SG1 team exchanged significant glances, leaving it to their leader to comment on this development. Jack didn't disappoint. "Well!" The word came out with an explosive rush of breath. "It seems you folks might have a Goa'uld problem after all."

Jayne growled, crossing his massive forearms defensively in front of his chest. "Now you're back to spoutin' that talk 'a aliens an' suchlike, when everyone knows that only _Chwen _folk believe in that pile 'a horseshit."

Book shot him a quelling Look. "Jayne, let them talk." He looked politely back at the Colonel. "These .. Goold." He hesitated over the name. "These are the ones that you mentioned before? The parasites who masquerade as gods?"

Daniel frowned in response to the question. "That's right. But it doesn't seem to be operating that way here." He looked thoughtful, glanced around the room and then fixed on the Shepherd's more open expression. "Who would you say runs or rules your society?"

Book paused to think but it was Wash who answered first. "Ah, well that's a bit of a touchy subject." He explained a little awkwardly. He rested a hand lightly on the frozen shoulder of his wife, as if restraining her from leaping forward. "Technically that would be the Alliance. The Government of the central worlds." He flicked a glance nervously towards the Captain's stony face. "There are those, however, who didn't exactly agree wholeheartedly with their approach to governing."

Zoë shrugged his hand off her shoulder. "War's over. We lost. Ain't no call to be bringing it up again. The Alliance is in charge now. At least according to them." She proclaimed calmly.

"They're just the clouds. The veil that hides the Sun. It's the Sun that burns."

Daniel lent forward eagerly, pushing his glasses up his nose to be able to look at her more intently. "The Sun. You mentioned that before. Are you talking about Aten? The Egyptian Sun God?"

"No-one knows the name Aten here. That name died along with his queen." The blank faces lining the walls of the room confirmed her words. "He took a new name. A metamorphosis." She tilted her head and fixed them all with an autocratic gaze. " Blue was symbolic of the sky and of water; of life and re-birth. He extended this symbolism out into the heavens, making a private joke at the 'verses expense. They all worship him. Even if they don't know it. Aten. _Blue Sun_!" She spat the last two words out with withering hatred and the SG1 team looked on in interest as the rest of the group reared back as if she'd just thrown a grenade into the room.

"So!" Jack encouraged when the silence had stretched unbroken for a good ten seconds. "Blue Sun. Anyone want to fill us in on what that means?"

Mal sighed. Closing his eyes as if blocking out the world. "It means we're _Wong Dahn_!"

* * *

**Chinese phrases in order of appearance (as close as I can approximate! Apologies for errors):**

_FuhnPi _:Accusing someone of lying, a ridiculous notion, or talking out of one's ass (literally "farting.")

_Ai ChrJze Se Duh FohnDiangGho_: Crazy dogs in love with their own feaces

_Kōng Yāomó_: Empty demon

_Ung Jeong Jia Ching Jien Soh._: Filthy fornicators of livestock

_Chwen_ :Dumbass (literally "retarded.")

_Wong Dahn_: Done for or imminent doom, screwed (literally "finished (cooked) egg.")


End file.
